


Under the Same Moon

by TheWhiteWolf (imnotdoneyetap)



Series: Hunt or Be Hunted [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Hunt or be Hunted, Hunters, Love, Other, Sequel, Teen Wolf, Werewolves, season 4
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2019-06-07 21:22:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 113,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15228150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imnotdoneyetap/pseuds/TheWhiteWolf
Summary: Diana had foolishly believed that her happy ending had finally come, but things quickly proved that this wasn't the case. Derek was gone and her family, Las Calaveras, were at her doorstep. It was time for a proper family reunion and for secrets to finally reveal the missing pieces of Diana's past. Was Diana truly ready for what's to come?Final Book in the Hunted Trilogy.Based on Season 4 Teen Wolf.





	1. Prologue

        "You won't believe what happened," Diana exclaims as she slid the doors of the loft open. "They ran out of egg rolls! I had to wait another 10 minutes for them to make some more and they wanted to charge me extra. I was ready to tear..." 

        The bag of Chinese take out lands on the floor as Diana notices the mess in her loft. Leftover smoke was filtering out of the loft allowing Diana to see the unconscious bodies on the floor and and shotgun shells scattered around them. Derek was nowhere to be seen, but a crawling Severo came into her line of sight.

        Severo's eyes widen in alarm at the sight of her and rightfully so as Diana was quick to pull him off the floor and slam him against the metal table. 

        "Where is he?" Diana growls out at him allowing her fangs. "What did abuela do to him?"

        "I don't know what you're talking about, mija," he tells her. "We were the ones who were attacked." 

        "Who attacked you?" Diana asks him. "Who took him?"

        "That's something your abuela is going to have to tell you," Severo answers. 

        Diana growls at this, displeased by the answer, and slams him against the table once more. 

        "Where is she?" she asks. 

        "She's back home," Severo tells her. 

        Diana scowls after hearing this. Her hold on Severo loosens as she attempted to make sense of this whole situation. She eyed her uncle Severo with suspicion. 

        "Why didn't she come here with you?" Diana asks him. 

        Severo refuses to respond and Diana could see the fear etched on his face. The answer came clear to her then. 

        "She doesn't know you came here," Diana states noticing the way Severo's body tensed up which further confirmed her answer. "Abuela didn't order you to come here." 

        Diana couldn't help but chuckle at the irony of her situation. She couldn't help but laugh at the way the universe decided to punish and reward her at the same time. 

        "Abuela's going to kill you the moment she hears about this," Diana tells him. "You went behind her back and tried to strut out on your own and  _failed_."

        " _Callate,_ " Severo grits out. 

        "No," Diana grits out at him as she approached Severo and shoved him back down onto the table. "No, I won't shut up because if you want to come out of this alive you're going to have to help me. Your life is in my hands, Tio Severo." 

        Severo scowled at this but he knew that his niece was right. This trip was meant to be successful. Severo meant to get Derek Hale to cough up needed information and trap Diana altogether, but la _loba_ had shown up and messed everything up. Whatever Diana had planned might be the only way for Severo to keep his own head against his own mother. 

        "I don't know what you were doing here with my mate," Diana tells him. "I don't know how you were planning to capture me and frankly I don't care who attacked you. I'm getting Derek back and you are going to help me do that whether you want to or not." 

        Severo despised having been brought down by Diana's hands, but knew he had no other choice but to comply to her demands. 

        "What do you want me to do?" he asked her. 

        Diana pulled out the silver handcuffs from the inside pocket of Severo's jacket and held it out for him to take. Severo eyed them warily but took them up. 

        "You're going to take me back home, Severo," Diana tells him. "You're taking me back to Mexico."


	2. Home, Sweet Home

_ Pueblo, Mexico _

        Diana woke up startled and unaware of her current location. The past 24 hours had been a blur and she didn't even know if half of the things that had happened where even real. She blamed Severo for the lack of consciousness as he immediately drugged her after he shoved her into their car. With a sigh, Diana brushed her hair out of her face and scanned the room she was in. A scowl settled on her face as she took in the bed that she was laying on and the lack of chains to strap her down to it.

        The clothes she was wearing now were different than the ones she had come in with. Her leggings and leather jacket were nowhere to be seen and they were replaced with a flowery sun dress. Diana gritted her teeth knowing her grandmother had put her up for this. 

        "I've already got my boyfriend taken from me and now she decides to take my clothes too?" Diana exclaims as she rose from the bed to further inspect the room she was being held in. 

        The door was locked as expected and the windows were barred from the outside. It didn't pass her notice that there was a camera in the corner of her room that followed every move she made. 

        Besides the security expansion, the bedroom remained the same as Diana had left it years ago. The dresser was still against the navy blue wall with her family's picture set on top of it. The white paint of her vanity was chipping away due to age and the mirror was taken out as a safety precaution. 

        Diana let out a heavy sigh as she settled on her bed once more. She had woken up before the sun had a chance to rise and she knew to expect some sort of wake-up call soon. 

        In the mean time, Diana tried to make sense of the mess she was in now. Severo had risked his own life to kill two birds with one stone. She understood why Severo would be after her and why Derek could be brought in by default, but Severo wanted to make Derek talk and about what, she didn't know.

        Her family had held him captive before and Derek had told her that they simply tried to make him turn her in. The thing that bothered her was that her abuela and Severo had come to Beacon Hills while they knew she already resided there. They had even considered talking to Derek again but went against it. 

        Diana had suspected this before when she had come to save Derek the first time around. Her grandmother hadn't been home and it sure as hell wasn't because Araya was following after her. Her abuela had bigger fish to catch and Diana wondered who or what it could possibly be if it was taking this much time and resources from her. 

        She pondered who it could possibly be and the answer worried her. Severo looked afraid when he found her and his scent wasn't the only one that depicted that same fear. She had smelled Derek's fear as well and Derek was rarely ever afraid. 

        Diana brushed her hair back in an attempt to calm her racing mind. She had left Beacon Hills without a second thought and didn't even bother to tell Deaton about her impulsive plan to return home. Someone would notice their disappearance eventually, but maybe it'll be too late then.

        Her grandmother was a very unpredictable woman and a very skilled hunter. Diana didn't know what to expect from her especially now as she was locked inside her old room. Diana had assumed she'll be thrown down into the locked cellar with a dagger to off herself but her abuela didn't arrange that and now she remained confused as ever. 

        Diana had many questions circulating her mind at the moment and as much as she'll like to decipher her family further, she couldn't help but think back to Derek. 

         _Where was he? Had Severo lied about the attack and Derek had escaped on his own? Or maybe they did have him and he was being held under the same roof?_

_Or was Severo telling the truth? Was there a third party involved? And if there was, why would they want Derek? How was he involved in this mess?_

Diana would not rest until she got the answers she was looking for and she knew she'll get them soon as footsteps echoed outside her bedroom door.

        She mentally and physically prepared herself for what was to come as she stood across the opening door. The door slowly creeks and Diana is quick to force it open. It stuns one of her cousins and Diana takes that advantage as she disarms him and shoves him over the banister that overlooked the courtyard. 

        Warning shouts are heard at this and Diana knew she was running out of time. She sprinted down the hall and took out two more of her grandmother's men before her Tio Severo stepped out and blocked the staircase. Diana doesn't allow that to stop her and she quickly tackles him down the stairs using him as a buffer as they crash onto the ground. She stumbles out of that tussle and attempts to walk out of the courtyard but the chorus of cocked shotguns stop her mid-step. 

        "You once told me that wearing a dress tended to restrain you." 

        Diana didn't have to turn around to know that her grandmother had a shotgun aimed directly at her. 

        "They do," she responds as she pulled the fallen strap back onto her shoulder. 

        "You didn't seem restrained at all right now," Araya tells her as she rounded her granddaughter to see her face for the first time in 7 years. 

        Diana doesn't respond. She just slowly raises her head and finally meets the eyes of the woman who had orchestrated the mess that was her life. 

        "Abuela," she greets with a grim smile. 

        "Diana," Araya responds with a sigh. "Long time no see."

        There was torment flickering in her eyes that Araya quickly shut away at the sight of her. Araya looked away and handed her shotgun to a recovered Severo. 

        "Acompañame al desayuno," Araya ordered as she turned away and led her into the dining room.

        Diana found the invite surprising and was forced to follow after her as Severo nudged her with the shotgun to move forward. 

        "Is my father and Marcos going to be joining us too?" Diana found herself asking seeing as they had yet to make an appearance ever since her arrival. 

        "A lot of things have happened since you ran off, Dianita," Araya answered. "It's about time you've come home and learned your place."

        "I know my place," Diana answers bitterly. "It's not with you anymore. It's with my pack and more importantly right next to my mate." 

        "Your mate?" Araya asks in surprise. 

        Diana doesn't know if her shock is fake or genuine. The news shouldn't be new to her seeing as Marcos must have immediately fed her this information on their last encounter, but Araya was still staring at her and waiting for an explanation.

        "What did you think this was?" Diana asks as she motioned to the bite scar on the crook of her neck.  

        Araya scowls at the scar and Diana notices the way she tightens her hold on the knife set beside her plate. 

        "You and Derek Hale are mates..." Araya concludes as she recalled the mate mark on the lobo.

        "We are," Diana states. "Why do you think I'm cooperating here, abuela?" 

        "You call attacking my men  _cooperating_?" Araya misdirects her anger with this question. 

        "It's what you taught me to do in a situation like this," Diana answers. "I'm only doing as I was trained to do." 

        Araya took a deep breath at her answer knowing that her granddaughter was justified by her actions. A small part of her was glad she hadn't grown soft in the years she ran off from them. Araya had kept updates on her ever since she relocated to Beacon Hills. Her trusted mercenary friend was easily paid to let her lips loose and Araya was glad to hear that her granddaughter had strived beautifully on her own. Who she was now wasn't someone Araya had molded in her youth, Diana had evolved and transpired into a great woman... just like her mother. 

        "What am I doing here abuela?" she asks as a plate filled with chorizo and huevo was set in front of her. "Why am I not locked up and chained down?"

        "Because you're family," Araya states as she takes a drink from her coffee cup. 

        "You and I both know I haven't been family for a long time," Diana remarks bitterly. It took her by surprise the amount of emotion that she revealed in the simple statement. 

        "You were the one who left," Araya points out. 

        "Because I was going to be killed if I had stayed!" Diana growls as her palms slammed the top of the table. 

        Severo is quick to bring up the shotgun but Araya quickly waves him down. She wipes her mouth with a napkin and sets it aside.  

        "You don't know how things would have turned out if you had stayed with us," Araya tells her. 

        "I know how things would have gone," Diana responds. "Marcos would have shot me and if that didn't kill me, then I would have been brought back here and be forced to do it myself. Neither of those options sounded good to me because I didn't go through everything you put me through to just die!" 

        "You wouldn't have died!" Araya shouts back at her. "I wouldn't have allowed you to!" 

        Diana is stunned into a silence at her grandmother's sudden outburst. Yes, Diana might have pushed her into it but the things she had said caught her completely off guard. 

        "What do you mean by that?" Diana asks confused. "It's in the hunter's code..."

        "I know what the hunter code says," Araya interrupts her tiredly. "I know what it states." 

        Diana remained silent as she allowed her grandmother a moment to collect her thoughts. 

        "It's obvious now you're hiding something from me," Diana tells her. "I don't know what it is but I came here to get Derek back so please stop being cryptic about things in the past and tell me where he is."

        "You're right," Araya sighs out. "I should stop avoiding the truth and tell you once and for all the things you have missed in your absence." 

        "What could have possibly changed since I left?" Diana asked impatiently. "Besides dishonoring the Cruz name, what else could I have possibly done?"

        "Diana..." 

        "Just tell me where Derek is and I'll leave and never come back," Diana tells her. "You can tell the whole world you finally caught up to me and killed me. I'll change my name again and forget this ever happened." 

        "I'm afraid things aren't that easy, Dianita," Araya states. 

        "Why not?" 

        "Because there are things of higher importance than your _lobo_ ," Araya responds. "Things like your father." 

        Diana sinks back into her chair and tried to play off the nerves that ran through her body. 

        "What about my father?" she asks curiously. "Is he here?"

        Araya doesn't say anything and simply rises from her chair beckoning for Diana to do the same. Severo and two of his sons are quick to reload their shotguns and Diana knew she had no other choice but to follow after her grandmother in whatever she had planned for her.

        "Can I at least know where you're taking me?" Diana asks as her grandmother led her out of the finca and towards the backyard that consisted of acres of land that their family owned for centuries. 

        Her grandmother refused to respond and a glance at her Tio Severo offered her nothing to work with. They passed the small garden her grandmother tended which was heavy with the scent of hierba buena and overripe tomatoes. Araya stepped into the stone path that led to a secluded gated area. Diana quickly realized where they were headed as Araya unlocked the gate and motioned her through. 

        "I should have known my dad would be here," Diana stated more to herself. "He never did get over her. Not properly anyway..." 

        Her grandmother remained silent as they walked towards her mother's tomb. The white marble shone brightly in the morning sun and the vase beside it had recently had the flowers changed. She smiled at the way her grave had been taken care of. It had been under her care when she had resided with her grandmother during her training and it seemed Araya had taken up the job herself after she left. 

        Diana glances away from the tomb and turns to her grandmother. 

        "Where is he?" Diana asks her. "Is he hiding from me? That afraid to face the daughter he intended to kill?" 

        Araya remained silent once more and Diana was growing tired to the lack of answers. 

        "Come on tell me," Diana pleads. "Where is he?" 

        "Closer than you think," Araya whispers as her eyes glanced to the tomb located beside her daughter's. 

        Diana didn't dare look over and instead let out a laugh, "You're joking. My father... He's not..." 

        The laughter dies in her throat as she feels a heaviness settle on her chest restricting her from breathing properly. She quickly turns to the black marble tombstone that resided next to her mother and read the golden inscription on it. 

 _Carlos Cortez_  
Loving Husband and Father  
August 4, 1963 - June 3, 2012

She moves to stand in front of it and reads the inscription again. Her knees falter and crash onto the grass leading her to stumble ungracefully. Her hands lay on the tombstone that is currently holding her up. Her fingers trace the golden words as she tried to make sense of what was in front of her. 

        "What happened?" Diana whispers as tears began to spill from her eyes. "Who killed him?" 

        "Diana..." 

        "Who did this to him?" she asks. "And tell me he's dead. Tell me you killed the son of a bitch who killed him." 

        "Diana..."

        "TELL ME YOU KILLED THE BASTARD WHO DID THIS," Diana shouts. 

        Araya and Severo share a concerned look not having expected Diana to lash out like this. She had jumped to the conclusion her father had died in a hunt. If only she knew it had been more humane than that. 

        "His heart," Araya tells her. "It was his heart that killed him." 

        Diana lets go of the tomb and wipes away her tears. She turned to her grandmother waiting for her to expand on her answer, "What do you mean his heart killed him?" 

        "Carlos had a heart attack," Araya explained to her. "His heart was under too much stress and it had weakened. It was quick. He didn't suffer." 

        Diana still couldn't make sense of this as she glanced over the tomb.

        "Why was he so stressed?" Diana asked. "Was it me? Did I... Did I kill him?" 

        "There are many reasons that could have..." 

        "TELL ME THE TRUTH," Diana exclaimed. "Was it me? Did he kill himself looking for me?" 

        "Diana, there is more to this than you think," Araya tried to explain to her but Diana was having none of it.

        "Stop avoiding the question!" she shouts. "He died a year ago looking for me, didn't he? He died and I didn't even know... I didn't even know..." 

        The dam broke and Diana couldn't stop the waterfall of tears that streamed down her cheeks. 

        "I didn't even know," she continued to repeat through her sobs. "I didn't even know... He died trying to kill me and I didn't even know!" 

        Araya wasn't one to display emotion and she had trained everyone under her to restrain the use of them. She wasn't the best at empathizing which also made her incapable of consoling. Yet the broken girl kneeled in front of her caused her own heart to falter and Araya had her own reasons as to why Diana evoked any kind of emotion in her part.         

        A strong hand landed on Diana's shoulder and she looks up to find her grandmother standing beside her with a blank mask that was void of emotion. The hand was meant to be comforting but it snapped Diana out of her sorrow as she looked up at her grandmother waiting for the next blow. 

        "You're right about Carlos dying while he searched for you," Araya told her. "But his intention was not to kill you... his intention was to bring you back home alive."


	3. Blood Over Water

        The shower spouted cold water now and Diana shivered under the harsh spray. It didn't do anything to deter her mind as it tried to make sense of what just happened. She hadn't expected to be dealt with a harsh truth and now her mind was split in two. Derek was still her priority, but the death of her father changed everything. Especially as her grandmother had told her there was more for her to know.

        A rough knock shook the bathroom door and she shut the shower off. She dried herself the best she could and slipped the robe on before stepping out of the bathroom. Severo was waiting to escort her back to her room and he didn't look pleased in doing such a menial task. 

        "You knew," Diana whispered as they walked down the hall. 

        "It wasn't my place to tell you," Severo states.

        Diana shook her head at this and tried to keep her composure. 

        "I know you hate me," Diana tells him. "You hate what I am and you hate that I'm still alive because abuela did a great job engraining the hunter's code into our minds, but can you just have a bit of compassion and just tell me what else she has in store for me?" 

        Severo scowls at the request and stared his niece down suspecting this could be some sort of trick she could be playing on him. The girl had gone through much in the short few hours home and the way she sorrowfully looked at him reminded him of the sister he forced himself to forget. 

        "She's got stuff on your hermano," Severo states. "And some stuff about..."

        Severo's statement is cut short as they reach her bedroom door which is flanked by her cousins, Santiago and Guillermo. Diana's whole composure changes at the sight of them while Severo remained scowling.

        "Nice to see you again, Santiago," Diana grins at him. "I'm surprised abuela even let you hold a gun seeing as the last time we confronted each other you didn't know how to use it properly." 

        Santiago cocks the shotgun in his hands, "Atrévete a atacarme, te lo pido que lo hagas." 

        Diana grins at him fully intending to accept Santiago's invitation to a fight but Severo shoves her inside her room with a warning glare. 

        "Don't get yourself in a losing situation, mijo," Severo advises his son. "That girl would eat you alive." 

        Santiago sends her a glare before shutting the door and locking her inside. She let out a tired sigh and allowed the brave mask to fall in the solitude of her room. Her eyes glanced over to her bed and found another summer dress laid out. 

        Diana turned to the camera in the corner of her room and glared directly into it. 

        "Am I some kind of doll for you?" she exclaims into it as she plucked the dress and waved it in front of the camera lens. 

        The camera turns away from her and Diana knew they were allowing her a moment to change in private. Diana takes the given time to slip the dress over her head and promptly throws herself onto her bed. She thought over what Severo had managed to tell her and tried to make sense of it.

        "Marcos," she whispers his name. 

        Her encounter with her brother made sense now as she recalled the faint memory. Marcos had been bitter and filled with rage when he saw her and she suspected it had to do with their father's death. He probably blamed her for it and wanted revenge but that didn't explain why he wasn't here in their grandmother's home.

        Severo had started to say something else but the circumstances had restrained him from saying more. Diana wondered what it could possibly be and why Severo had allowed himself to even say as much. 

        Diana didn't need more unanswered questions in her mind but every second she spent under her abuela's roof brought a thousand more. She needed to leave and find Derek before she got sucked into more unnecessary family drama.

        Her prayers seemed to be ignored as a knock resonated from her door warning her that her presence was needed once more. With an annoyed groan, Diana rose from the bed and waited as the door was opened for her. Santiago and Guillermo motioned her out and she allowed them to escort her towards her grandmother's office. 

        "Adentro, perra," Santiago chuckles out as he nudged her inside. 

        "Unos de estos dias no vas a tener a tu pistolita para protegerte," Diana threatened. "Y cuando venga ese dia te las vas arreglar conmigo y te vas arrepentir llamandome tus nombrecitos."

        Santiago laughed the threat off but Diana could see her words had gotten to him as he quickly looked away from her gaze. 

        "Guillermo, I hope you learn from your brother's mistakes," Diana states as she turned to the younger brother. "Don't piss off a she-wolf because she will retaliate with a harsh bite." 

        Guillermo ignores her advice but his silence throughout her imprisonment just proved that he was smarter than Santiago overall.

        Having no more wisdom to share with her cousins, Diana stepped into her grandmother's office. Discarded artifacts were stacked in every corner of the room. She noticed the mountain ash chest that once contained Thalia Hale's claws still locked and placed next to her desk. Diana wondered if she knew the claws were missing and if she did, did she even care. 

        "You called for me?" Diana asks as her armed crossed over her chest. "Have any more tragic family news to drop on me?" 

        "I believe you've had enough for the day," Araya responds as she placed a rotary phone on the center of her desk. "For now I'll like you to make a phone call to the vet friend of yours."

        "Why?" 

        "Because I don't intend to have your pack sniffing around here anytime soon," Araya answers. 

        "Why not?" Diana asks in amusement. "Afraid of what they're capable of?" 

        "Son un grupo de patojos que no saben mejor," Araya remarks offended. "I'm not afraid of them. I'm afraid of what you have taught them." 

        "It's your paranoia, abuela, that will outlive us all," Diana comments as she pulled the phone towards her and started to dial the memorized number. "So what do you want me to say to Deaton? To tell him not to look for me?" 

        "Yes," Araya responds. "Whatever needs to be said to prevent the attack that is bound to come. I intend to grasp as much time to reacquaint myself with you, Dianita." 

        Diana scowled at her answer and Severo's words came back to remind her of the unfinished business that was her past and current present. Diana didn't get a chance to ask her grandmother to elaborate on that as Deaton picks up the call. 

        " _Hello?"_

        "Deaton, it's me, Diana," she states quickly. 

        " _Are you alright?"_ Deaton asks. " _The area code you dialed from... it's from Mexico."_

"Yeah, about that..." 

_"Please tell me you're not where I think you are..."_

"I am and it's by my own choice," Diana tries to explain to him. "They've got Derek and I'm trying to negotiate his release but I can only do this _alone."_

_"Diana, once Scott hears about this..."_

"Scott won't hear about this, it's your job to make sure he doesn't," Diana interrupts him. "He'll only get in the way and too much has happened to add this onto him. Please, Deaton, don't tell him." 

        _"He'll eventually find this out for himself,"_ Deaton responds _. "He's a smart kid and he'll notice your disappearance soon enough."_

"If that happens to be the case then guide him the best you can," she tells him.

         _"I'll do my best,"_ Deaton sighs out. _"Are you sure you're alright, Diana?"_

"I'm as fine as I can be after hearing about..." 

        The phone call abruptly ends and Diana takes notice of her grandmother pressing the switchhook that had terminated her call before she was ready. Diana annoyingly drops the phone back into it's place and looks at her grandmother with a questioning gaze. 

        "What was that about?" 

        "I can't have you sharing family secrets to strangers," Araya defiantly responds. 

        "Deaton is my family," Diana tells her. "He was there for me when no one else was." 

        "Because you wanted it to be that way," Araya states. 

        "No, I definitely did not," Diana exclaims. "I tried to bring my family back together after my mother died but my father and brother wouldn't allow it. They had their own secrets to hide behind so I had to rely on someone else for guidance and Deaton was that person." 

        Araya was listening closely to her rant watching her granddaughter reveal such strong emotions of the time before her own involvement. 

        "Don't get me wrong, I loved my father and he was a great man for trying to spare me the hardships of hunting, but he had no right to lie to me about it," she continues to argue. "My father was flawed. We are all flawed and I was just a kid back then who didn't know who she was and what to do about it. I searched and found paternal and maternal guidance from strangers who took me in as their own and made me the person I am today. So don't tell me I'm a part of this family when I never truly was!" 

        "For a short period of time, your life was guided by my hand and my hand alone," Araya commented. 

        "You guided me to fight," Diana corrects her. "You guided me to hunt." 

        For a brief second, Diana can feel the wolf stir within her but it did nothing to hold her rage in check.

        "You guided me to repress my emotions and to trust no one," Diana lists off. "You told me that love was for the weak and part of you was right to tell me this because there has been times that it has made me weak, but it also made me determined and stronger than ever. I don't care what else you have to tell me. I don't care what other family horrors you have to drop on me. I'm only under your roof and following your orders until you set Derek free and let me go live my life once in for all. Nothing else matters to me. _You_ don't matter to me."  

        "Go back to your room," Araya orders as her gaze dropped downwards. 

        "What?" Diana asked surprised. 

        "Go back to your room!" 

        "I am not some kid you can scare anymore!" Diana shouts in retaliation.

        The argument catches Santiago's and Guillermo's attention as they barge into the office with guns loaded and aimed at Diana. She ignores them as she glared down her grandmother. 

        "Take her!" Araya shouts to them.

        Diana attempts to fight back but Santiago and Guillermo keep a steady hold on her as they drag her out of the office with Araya hot on her heels. 

        "I have treated you the best way I can with your condition," Araya grits out. 

        "My condition?" Diana laughs out. "Say it, abuela. Just say it. You've said it a thousand times before." 

        "You mock me," Araya exclaims. "You insult me. You disrespect me under my own roof. I won't tolerate your behavior any longer." 

        "Say it, abuela," Diana shouts. "Call me by my fucking name!" 

        Araya hands swing down and the slap echoes down the halls. Diana feels the harsh sting on her cheek and the mild taste of blood inside her mouth. She's surprised by the impulsive action her grandmother had revealed but it didn't stop the rage that had been building inside her the moment her grandmother introduced herself into her life. 

        "You want to act like the animal you are, then I'll treat you like one," Araya states before turning to her cousins that had paused in the short altercation. "Lock her up in her room with no food or water. Let's see if that will teach her some manners." 

        Diana couldn't help but laugh as they dragged her away. 

        "That's what you do best, isn't it?" Diana taunts her as Araya turned her back on her. "Punish me? Torture me? Force me under your fucking will?!" 

        Santiago throws her inside her room but it doesn't stop Diana from the erupting volcano that was her amounting rage. Her fists collide against the old wooden door that rattles loudly within its hinges. 

        "Soy una loba, abuela!" Diana shouts at her. "I'm a wolf and you no longer have the power to tame me! You can't tame the wild I have grown to become!"


	4. Through Her Eyes

         _Diana leaned back into the wall behind her as she heard people walk in front of her bedroom door without acknowledging the prisoner inside. She had been locked here since last night and had attempted to ration the Twix bar she found in her jacket for the remainder of her stay. Diana didn't know how long abuela had planned to lock her insider her room but she planned to endure it without begging to be let out._

_She wondered if this was a part of her training or if this was truly a punishment for snapping at her grandmother after she had tried to force her... Diana didn't want to think about it anymore._

_A sigh escaped her lips as she brushed her untamed hair back. She was used to being alone but being within the crowds of any high school hall it had silenced the thoughts she desperately wanted to push back._

_"Luna lunera, cascabelera,_  
        ve y dile a mi amorcito  
        por Dios que me quiera;  
        dile que no vivo de tanto padecer,  
        dile que a mi lado debiera volver."

        _Diana was about to sing the next verse when a timber low voice started it before she could._

 _"Luna lunera, cascabelera,_  
        ve y dile a mi amorcito  
        por Dios que me quiera;  
        dile que me muero,  
        que tenga compasión,  
        dile que se apiade de mi corazón." 

_She looked towards her door and heard a tired sigh as a body dropped in front of her door and reclined against it._

_"Marcos?" she asked._

_"Yeah, it's me," he responded. "Thought you'll like some company."_

_"Wouldn't you get in trouble?" she asked him. "Abuela doesn't seem like the forgiving kind..."_

_"I can take the heat on this one," Marcos tells her. "I don't mind."_

_Diana can't help but smile at this and leaned her head back onto the wall._

_"Why don't you tell me what happened?"_

_"You already know..."_

_"No, I honestly don't," Marcos remarks. "I've been holed up in my room just like you."_

_"By choice," Diana reminds him. "You locked yourself up by choice."_

_Marcos can't help but agree with her and lets out a chuckle._

_"You're right," he tells her. "So tell me what made you piss off our querida abuelita?"_

_Diana can't help but laugh at the sarcasm in his voice. It was disrespectful, but very much true._

_"She's the worst, isn't she?" she asks him._

_"Yeah, but she's the best at what we do."_

_"I don't know about that..." Diana sighs out._

_"Tell me," Marcos states once more._

_"She wanted me to put Maria down," Diana explains to him._

_"Who's Maria?"_

_"The horse in the barn," Diana tells him. "Abuela was the one who told me to take care of her in the first place because she was sick. Now she's better thanks to me and abuela wants me to put her down!"_

_"That's all?" Marcos snickers out._

_"Marcos!" Diana exclaimed in annoyance. "I care about her ok? She's a living breathing animal and grandma wants me to kill her like she means nothing, but she means something to me!"_

_"It's a test," Marcos explains to her. "It's just a stupid test."_

_"It's not!" she exclaims. "This animal is innocent and I just can't..."_

_Marcos remains silent at this and Diana wonders if he's had enough from her._

_"If she was ill or if she was in pain putting her down would be easier because I'm offering her peace but this... this is torture," Diana explains to him. "I healed her and abuela wants me to just kill her. She made feelings a part of the equation and that's unfair... that's unfair!"_

_The silence made her aware that Marcos was no longer there and she had been left to talk to her own shadow. Her eyes close for a short second before she hears a clicking sound occurring nearby._

_"Marcos?" she asks confused. "What are you doing?"_

_"I'm picking this lock," he answers. "Give me a second..."_

_Diana holds her breath and watches as the knob finally turns fully with ease. The door slowly sings open and she can't help but smile as her brother came into her line of sight._

_"You ready to fly free jailbird?" Marcos asks her._

_"Yeah, it's about damn time."_   
  


There's a moment of silence that awaits her and she knew that neither Guillermo or Santiago would deem a response to her. She was practically speaking to a brick wall when it came to the young Calaveras brothers but she didn't care. She just wanted distance from her mind that kept firing questions she had no answers to. 

        "And then what happened next?" 

        Diana's surprised at hearing Guillermo speak but it made sense that he did. Though he had been silent the entire time since she's been under his watchful eye, he had more empathy than his half-minded brother. 

        "Don't talk to her," Santiago remarks.

        "I just asked a simple question," Guillermo tells him. "It's not like abuela is going to punish me for it." 

        "You don't know that Memo," Diana warns him slipping his childhood nickname by accident. "You don't know her like I do." 

        Diana licks her dry lips and finds herself confessing much more than she wanted to. 

        "You are men and she trains you to be hunters and that's that. Your part was done and it was easy, but with me... with me it was a completely different story. She trained me to hunt, and did a great job at it, but her job wasn't over yet. No, she trained me so much harder than all of you and made me do things that you guys never had to because I had to become strong and stoic and smart because _I_ was supposed to step up and become a leader of this... this... thing we call a family business."

        Her breaths are passing quickly but she is tired of repressing her emotions for years and being under the roof that started it all made it hard to keep them down. 

        "She took what was left of my innocence, smothered it until there was no more," Diana exclaimed at them. "Our abuela has never been a woman of emotions, but she coddled you, _all of you,_ because you were men, but me...  _me,_ she took my heart and filled it with silver and lead. I grew afraid of letting people in... it took me so long to let the man I love to actually  _touch_ me, to get near me and I wasted so much time because I couldn't even trust him!" 

        "So no... no... you don't know how abuela really is," Diana tells them. "You don't know what she's capable of and I'm glad I carried the burden instead of any of you because you are be able to get out of here and find a nice girl and not be afraid of having her stab you in the back or throat or chest... You will fall in love without any obstacles in your way and create a life with them without worrying if it was just a trap to distract you from your mission."

        "And I hope that your children grow up to be healthy and strong and blessed to be boys because you do not want your daughter, your little princess, to go through what I have gone through and become broken like I was."

        "You don't know abuela like I do," Diana whispers. "You don't know her like I do." 

        The brothers remained silent and Diana lets out a sigh as she leaned against the door expecting that the conversation had come to an end due to her emotional breakdown.

        "Finish your story," Guillermo speaks up once more and Diana takes a deep breath before deciding to continue. 

  
         _"Where are you taking me?" Diana asks Marcos as he led her downstairs and out the front door. "If she finds you with me she's going to kill us both!"_

_"If you keep quiet, then maybe she won't," Marcos remarks as he drags her towards the barn._

_Diana quickly realizes his intention and tries to pull her wrist out of his hold, "No, I'm not doing it. No!"_

_"Just shut up and follow me," Marcos grits out as he pulled her inside._

_Diana hissed once Marcos finally let her go. The skin on her wrist stung and she saw the purple hue of a forming bruise. She turned to her brother who had managed to lead out the old mare towards her._

_"Maria?" he asks her._

_"That's her," Diana sighs out. "I'm not doing it."_

_Marcos rolls his eyes at her and pulls out the gun from the waistband of his jeans. He turns off the safety and forces Diana to take a hold of it._

_"I'm not going to do it," she repeats as she tried to shove him away._

_"Shut up," Marcos grits out at her. "You're not going to do anything, ok?"_

_"Then why am I holding a gun?" Diana asks him._

_Marcos ignores her question and motions for her to take aim, "Between her eyes, she won't even see it coming and it won't hurt her."_

_"It'll kill her!"_

_"Just aim it, ok?" Marcos states as he moved to stand behind her._

_"What are you doing?" Diana asks. "I don't get what you're doing. I'm not going to shoot..."_

_"Just fucking aim!"_

_"I'm not going to shoot her!"_

_"Aim the fucking gun!"_

_"You can't make me!"_

_"Fuck this," Marcos exclaims as his hand latched onto hers and pulled it upwards. His finger laid over her own and he forces the trigger down. The gunshot echoes through the barn and the remaining horses go wild because of it. Maria topples down onto the ground and stares up with lifeless eyes._

_"See?" Marcos asked her. "It wasn't that hard."_

_"You killed her," she whispers in shock._

_"I did," Marcos responds. "You didn't kill her, I did."_

_A shout is heard outside and they both know that they didn't have much time before the barn would be crowded with concerned relatives and a pissed of Araya._

_"You killed her," she repeats as her knees hit the ground._

_"They don't know that," Marcos whispers to her. "Because you're the one holding the gun."_

_Sure enough, Marcos was right as Araya was the first to arrive with Severo and Carlos following closely behind her._

_"You did it," Araya states in surprise._

_"She passed your little test," Marcos responds as he knelt beside her shocked sister and pulled the smoking gun out of her hands. "She's ready for the next one."_

  
        Guillermo let out a short whistle once Diana finished her story. Neither could empathize with what she gone through and neither understood the impact this moment had on her at the moment and even now as she retold the story to them.

        "That was the last time Marcos was ever kind to me," Diana confesses to them. "The last time he acted like the older brother I once looked up to." 

        "And why's that?" Guillermo asks her. 

        "Because he realized what abuelita's little test truly meant," Diana tells them.

        "And what did it mean?" Santiago asks this time as his curiosity got the better of him.

        "She made me heal the poor animal back to health so my feelings would become involved and then she asked me to put it down," Diana replicates the scenario for them. "Why do you think she went to great lengths to create a situation like this?" 

        Santiago and Guillermo share a confused look and Diana took their silence as a sign to continue.

        "Abuela wanted me to learn the important lesson of putting a person I knew, a person I care for, down," Diana explains to them. "Because when one of us gets bitten, when a hunter gets cursed with the bite and they're not strong enough to end it themselves, the leader has to be the one to do it for them and feelings can't get in the way of that. Feelings can't be a part of the equation."

        "So why did Marcos get mad at you?" Guillermo asks. 

        "Because this was the part of my training that led up to me becoming the leader of our little family clan," she tells them. "He didn't think I deserve to be, especially since I really didn't pass abuela's test. He thinks it should have been him to be groomed for leadership, not newbie hunter-me." 

        "That's not our tradition," Santiago comments. "That's not how it works." 

        "Marcos knows that," she tells them. "But it didn't deter his mind at all. In fact, he tried to prove himself capable of leadership by trying to kill me the first time I shifted into a wolf."

        Diana once recoiled at the memory, but as she vented out her emotions she couldn't help but laugh. 

        "He missed the shot though," she chuckles out. "Something I wouldn't have done." 

        "Our dad once told us that you were the best he ever seen," Guillermo tells her out of the blue.

        "Tio Severo actually said that about me?" Diana asks in amusement. 

        "Yeah he did," he answers. "He said you were one of the best, besides... well besides your mom of course."  

        "I'm sure he would..." she whispers thoughtlessly. Her fingers traced the flower patterns on her dress and she let out another sigh. "I wish I could have seen it..." 

        "Seen what?" Guillermo asks her. 

        "My mother in action," she answers. "They always compared me to her in my training but I never saw her this way. She was just my mom... I bet she was _way_  better at this than I was." 

        Out of the blue, Santiago knocks on her door and Diana is confused by it. 

        "Abuela's coming," he warns her and Diana is surprised that he gave her a warning at all as she quickly removed herself from the door waiting for it to be unlocked and opened.

        "How was she?" Araya asks her stoic grandsons. 

        "Talkative," Santiago responds with a believable annoyance that most likely was genuine. "She wouldn't shut up." 

        "You didn't talk back to her, did you?" 

        "No abuela," Santiago lies and covers for his brother. "You wanted us to treat her like an animal, so we did." 

        Diana couldn't help but admire Santiago at the moment. She would never admit it to him, but being the elder sibling had it's hardships and Santiago rose above them. She once would have said the same thing about Marcos, but that was a long time ago and there was no point of reminiscing more into her past. 

        "It's been two days," Araya states. "Make sure she showers and dresses for the day. Send her to lunch with me and we'll see if she's learned some manners in her time of solitude." 

        Diana hears her walk away and impatiently watches the door. She hears the keys clink against each other before they place the right one through the keyhole. The lock clicks and the door slides open allowing fresh air to filter into the room. Diana closes her eyes and enjoys the small freedom of walking outside as she's dragged towards the bathroom that is just down the hall.


	5. Somewhere Only We Know

        Her hair is dripping water down her back and Diana despises the feel of the wet dress sticking to her skin. Araya notices her discomfort but doesn't comment on it. Ever since Santiago and Guillermo left her down to the dining room with only her grandmother as company, Diana had remained silent. 

        Only the sounds of their utensils scrapping against the plates made sound, but their meal was already finished and neither had dared to speak the first word. 

        Araya hated being he first to speak of the two, feeling as if she was giving Diana all the power in the situation, but there was more they had to discuss and not enough time. The full moon was coming up in less than three weeks and Diana's pack was bound to come before then. 

        "You've been awfully silent," Araya states. "Santiago told me you were quite the chatterbox in your time of solitude." 

        "I know what Santiago told you," Diana responds. 

        "Then why are you not speaking to me now?" Araya asks. "Still angry with me?"

        "You don't realize it, do you?" Diana asks her. "I will always be angry at you. You made my life a living hell and you are still doing it. I would have been fine not knowing about my father. And whatever you have on Marcos doesn't matter because I don't care. He hates me and has wanted me dead for so long and that is nothing new."

        Araya remains silent and the rage that Diana is displaying reminds her of a scene in her past that she so deeply regrets. 

        "You keep calling me a part of this family, but my family is gone," Diana tells her. "My parents are dead and Marcos is who knows where and I... I'm a hunter who got bit which means I should be dead, but I'm not because you keep calling me family and I don't understand. I don't understand how you of all people want to keep me alive after everything that's happened."

        "I have my reasons," Araya tells her. 

        "Then just tell me!" Diana exclaims. "I am so tired of you avoiding me. Whatever you have to say, just say it because you are just wasting my time." 

        "The room you stay in... it used to be your mother's room," Araya states. "And the dresses I make you wear, they were hers too." 

        "What?" Diana asks confused. 

        "You don't realize how much you and her are alike," Araya tells her. "From appearance to skill... you and her are the same." 

        Diana didn't know what to make of this as her grandmother glanced away from her unsure of how to approach the incoming matter.  

        "There's a reason Carlos neglected you, mija," Araya whispers. "You reminded him too much of her..." 

        "So it's my fault?" Diana asks. "My fault he couldn't love me anymore." 

        Araya shakes her head but knew there was no remedy to the thoughts going on in Diana's mind. She had tendency to jump to conclusions which was all due to the emotions she was being forced to face. 

        "My father couldn't love me because I reminded him too much of my mother and Marcos hated me because of the attention you gave me," Diana exclaims. "Do you see what I lived with? Can you be that surprised I ended up this way?" 

        Diana abruptly rises from her seat causing the chair to topple down. Araya watches as her granddaughter paces around the room with a wild in her eyes that was similar to cornered animals that were ready to fight and flee. 

        "Your mother..." 

        Diana shakes her head at her and pleads for her to stop.

        "I don't want to hear it," she tells her. "Whatever it is... I don't want to hear it because it's going to be my fault too, isn't it?"

        "Diana," she whispers.

        "No!" Diana shouts as her hands came to cover her ears. "You can't make me listen. I don't want to know." 

        Araya stands up from her seat and slowly walks to her granddaughter who is whispering an old Spanish lullaby she hadn't heard in awhile. Diana's eyes were closed and Araya takes a second to really look at her. There were features of her face that were similar to Carmen, but the freckles across her cheeks or the way her nose turned upwards... those were her own.

        Araya's hands settle on top of hers and Diana's eyes snap open. Araya pulls her hands away from her ears and holds them against her own. She lets the mask she is so used to carrying down and allows Diana to see the single weakness she allowed herself to carry.

        Her eyes reflected a pain Diana couldn't recognize but knew she could relate to.         

        "You lost your mother," Araya states, "But I lost my daughter, my only daughter, my first born..." 

        Diana remained silent and allowed Araya to continue. 

        "You want to know why I don't feel the need to kill you?" Araya asks her. "You want to know why I consider you family still?"

        "It's because of her..." Diana whispers. "But why?" 

        "Because I made a mistake which at the time I didn't think was a mistake," Araya tells her. "I was just following the rules... the hunter's code." 

        "What do you mean?" Diana asks as she detangled herself from her grandmother.

        "Diana, your mother... she was on a hunt the night before her accident," Araya explains to her. "She was doing it on her own because she wanted it done as quickly and discreetly as possible because you seemed to be catching on to the calls of our world..." 

        "I don't... I just told her something didn't feel right..." Diana whispers. "I didn't know... I didn't know what it meant then." 

        "I know," Araya assures her. "But your mother worried you'll be entrapped by it, that'll you be a part of it, chase after it... I told her she should let you follow it. I wanted to see if you had potential, but your mother did not want you to be dragged into our lifestyle. There was a reason she stepped out of it herself and attempted a normal civil life, but danger lurked near your home and she decided that one more hunt wouldn't kill her."

        "But it did..." Diana states.

        "It was a werewolf," Araya tells her. "A packless Alpha that had moved into your little city. He had intentions to create a pack by all means necessary." 

        "He bit my mother, didn't he?" 

        "Yes."

        "Is he dead?" 

        "Your father and brother hunted him down the first chance they got," Araya answers. 

        "And they didn't stop hunting after that," Diana whispers feeling the tears that threatened to fall. She wiped them away and took a deep breath. "So my mother... she uh... the accident wasn't really an accident..." 

        "No, it wasn't..." 

        "You told her to kill herself?" she asks 

        "I didn't have to," Araya tells her. "She already knew what she had to do. She left instructions to your father and called me to say goodbye... and I let her say goodbye. I didn't even try to convince her to ignore the stupid rule."

        "You let her die..." Diana whispers in disbelief. "Your own daughter, my mother... you let her die!" 

        Diana raises her hand with every intention to slap her own grandmother, but she can't follow through. She can't gain the strength to actually hit her. She would be dropping to her level and Diana has had enough of the violence her so called family tended to strive in. 

        Instead, Diana lets her hand drop to her side and sunk down to her knees. She let the rage disappear for the moment and allowed herself to mourn like a normal person would. 

        She didn't have the energy to scream anymore. She didn't want to pick a fight with her abuela and she really didn't have the energy to hold her head up high. 

        Diana just needed to rest for a bit and so she cried. She allowed herself to mourn fo the mother who had bravely fought a fight she didn't have to anymore, for the mother who tried to protect her and lost herself in doing so, for the mother who had only loved and shown love.

        Diana was crying and Araya was unsure of what to do for the girl kneeling in front of her. She had expected shouting, another argument, a fight that ended in blood being shed from both sides. Araya was prepared for any of those outcomes, but not for this, not for complete and utter defeat.

        And maybe Diana gave in to her grandmother for her sake as well. Maybe Diana let her shield down so her abuela could do the same and not be judged for it. 

        Araya wasn't a woman of many emotions. She had not cried when her husband passed away and she did not cry when her younger son got himself killed in his first few hunts, but when Carmen called her to wish her goodbye, Araya had flinched. Love was not something she was accustomed to, but she had loved Carmen the most because she was her only daughter and she had been perfect.

        So Araya allowed herself a moment of weakness and kneeled down in front of her granddaughter who needed her now. She pulled Diana into her arms and allowed herself to mourn too. 

*****

        The sun was out and the birds were singing in their carefree manner. Diana watched as the clouds passed by the blue sky and she couldn't help but wonder when was the last time she had felt this at peace. She had suffered so much loss in her life and had repressed her emotions for so long that she didn't know how it felt to be so... normal.

        Her fingers picked at the grass and she closed her eyes against the light of the sun. The birds continued singing and the world continued on around her. 

        She knew that there were still pressing things to tend do, but Diana wanted this peaceful feeling to last a bit longer before she allowed herself to shut it down and focus on recovering Derek back. It shouldn't be too hard now seeing as her grandmother seemed as vulnerable as she would ever be.  

        Diana took the sun in and allowed herself to relax as much as she was able to with Santiago and Severo watching over her. 

        "You done laying with the dead?" Severo asks impatiently. 

        Diana lets out a sigh and sat up from the ground. She glanced over the two tombs that belonged to her parents with a small smile on her lips before slowly standing up. 

        "Let's go," she states as she walked out of the graveyard with Santiago and Severo following closely behind her. "I'm ready to get this show on the road."


	6. From the Ashes

        Bodies dropped to the ground and more kept coming towards her. Diana was having trouble keeping the she-wolf caged inside as she handled everything with hand to hand combat. They rounded her slowly but the rest were taking too long to recover and someone would have to make the first move eventually. Diana was about to lunge at the nearest one before her abuela called the whole thing off. 

        "All of you took too long," Araya exclaims. "If this was a real she-wolf, she would have not hesitated and killed all of you for waiting as long as you did." 

        "If she was a real she-wolf, then we would have our guns on us," someone calls out. 

        Diana rolls her eyes at this and looked up at her grandmother, "I don't know why any of this is necessary. You should just let them go out and die of their own stupidity." 

        Araya chuckles at this and truly considers it for a minute, but the threat they were facing was no joking matter and she needed them, any of them, to become ready and fast. 

        "Again," she orders. "And I expect better results." 

        "Can Severo or Santiago step in for me?" Diana asks her. "I don't know why you want me to be the one they're fighting against. They're never going to be able to beat me." 

        "And that's why I need you there with them," Araya states. "You're as real as they're ever going to get to face."

        Diana lets out a sigh and turns to the young hunters around her. A growl escapes her throat and they come at her once more.

        Araya watches the fight from her perch in the balcony. Diana wasn't fighting with all of her werewolf abilities and yet it was enough to withstand a group of young and upcoming hunters. Few had improved, but many were still lagging behind when fighting the she-wolf in front of them. Araya scowled at the results and knew that neither of them would be ready anytime soon. 

        Severo walks out into the balcony and moves to stand next to her. Araya knew that her remaining son had his own words to share and waited patiently for them. 

        "You're going to have to tell her soon," Severo tells her. "It's been a week already and she's been patient, but she won't be for long, not with her mate still gone." 

        "She suspects we have him," Araya replies. "It's why she's been so pleasant the last few days. Look at her..." 

        Severo looks down and watches Diana fight through the many opponents against her. He had a feeling she wasn't doing this just for Araya, but to dispel the pent up energy she's had for being locked up in her room with nothing to distract her but family secrets. 

        "Once she knows who truly has her lobo, she's going to go mad," Severo warns her. "The longer we wait, the angrier she'll be and we can't be dealing with two highly trained lobas with the full moon coming up." 

        "I know, mijo," she tells him. "I know." 

        "You have to tell her," Severo repeats. 

        "And I will," Araya responds. "But not now... I still have much more to learn from her." 

*****

        After Diana had attempted to train the young and potential hunters, she had showered and changed in order to join her abuela for a late lunch. She felt tired after fighting for so long and perhaps that was a good sign seeing as those distant relatives of hers might have a chance in surviving out in the real world. 

        She still felt uneasy and her hand caressed the mate scar on her neck. It had once been a reminder of shame and regret and then she forgot it was even there. Now that they've been separated for more than a week after having spent so much time together, the scar was the only reminder she had of him. 

        At night, Diana would massage the marked skin and she swore she could feel him next to her as if whatever boundaries were against them no longer existed. Yet, as she touched the mark now and closed her eyes to feel just a glimpse of him, she couldn't and that worried her. She had a feeling that she was running out of time and she was frightened to her very core.

        "Sore?" Araya asks as she enters the dining room. 

        "No," Diana answers as she lets her hand drop down to the table. "A bit tired and the bruises I managed to get are healing." 

        "That's good to hear," Araya states. "What did you think of them?" 

        "They've got a long way to go," she sighs out.

        "I need them to be ready soon," Araya remarks.

        Their lunch is brought in and Diana takes the lull in their conversation to actually look over her grandmother. Diana knows her grandmother is hiding something from her and she has waited patiently for something to give, but her grandmother is a resilient woman and so was she. 

        "Are we in war?" 

        Araya looks up from her plate in confusion and stares at her granddaughter whose eyes held a dark glint she's never seen before. It's dangerous. That glint of hers was dangerous and Araya knew that the game they were playing had suddenly changed. 

        "Why would you think that?" Araya answers with instead. 

        Diana smiles at this and knew that her answer had been a slip she would be regretting later. 

        "So you just need these kids, because they are kids, to skip their hunting training wheels and just get out there guns blazing?"

        Araya is silent and Diana knows she is very close to the answer she's looking for. 

        "What has you so afraid, abuela?" Diana asks. "And don't bother lying to me because I will know." 

        "I am not afraid of anything, Dianita," Araya responds. 

        Diana hears the way her heart beats strong and steady in her chest. Anyone would have believed her by that detail alone but Diana knew better. Her grandmother was a talented liar and she wouldn't be so easily fooled.

        "I don't believe you," Diana states. 

        Araya just chuckles at this refusing to be so easily manipulated into giving the response her granddaughter was looking for. Instead, Araya decided to change the game once more. 

        "Tell me about Derek Hale." 

        "You know enough about Derek Hale," she states. 

        "Clearly not as well as I would like," Araya responds as her eyes flickered down to her mate scar. "I never expected you to be the settling down type." 

        "It's a long story," Diana sighs out.

        "We have all the time in the world," Araya tells her.

        "We actually don't," Diana states. "The full moon is approaching in less than a week. I don't know if you're afraid of what will happen to me or him or whatever it is you're trying to hide from me. So no, we don't have all the time in the world."

        "I can end this conversation right here, right now," Araya reminds her. "The answers you seek I will give them to you when I feel like doing so but for now I want to hear about your lobo." 

        Diana hated the power move her grandmother had decided to pull, but it revealed another layer of her secret. Whatever it was, Araya was afraid and desperate to keep that detail hidden. 

        "Derek Hale comes from a prominent family," Diana starts to tell her. "Not in the way you would have liked, but it's enough for me. We became mates about a little over a year ago and that in itself was a rough start, middle and well... we're actually happy now." 

        "Is he the reason you returned to Beacon Hills?"

        "No," she answers. "I thought Derek died in the Hale fire. I actually came back for Deaton and because I was tired of running in circles so none of you would catch me and kill me." 

        "But he is the reason you stayed for so long?" 

        "Maybe," she shrugs. "I became invested with the people there and I just... they were kids and I wanted to save them from turning out like me. There's one... one I care about the most. Something about him reminded me of Marcos and I just wanted to protect him." 

        "We've gotten off track," Araya states. "Keep telling me about Derek." 

        Diana narrowed her eyes at her grandmother but knew not to anger her once again.

        "He's the love of my life," Diana tells her. "And it's not just because we're mated, because I knew way before it happened that he was the one I was going to end up with. We were just kids the first time we met and I didn't realize the great connection we had until now. Marcos knew though and he was even threatened by it because he scared me away from Derek." 

        Diana couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips. 

        "He was surprised when we ran into him a couple months ago," Diana tells her. "Pulled out his gun and tried to kill us, but very much surprised nonetheless."

        "You saw Marcos?" 

        "I did," Diana tells her. "He infiltrated a supernatural club down in South America. Only shared a few words and I left after he started to wave a gun around." 

        "I presume you know he's banned from this house," Araya states. 

        "I had a hunch," she answers. "What did he do?" 

        "Offended me," Araya simply responds. "Now continue with your story." 

        Diana knew there was more to that story but Marcos wasn't important to her right now.

        "Derek and I, we were just meant to be," she tells her. "I don't know what else to tell you."

        "Does he think of the future?" 

        "We've talked about it briefly," she answers. 

        "Marriage?"

        "Yes." 

        "In a church?" 

        Diana had to laugh at the question and just shrugs, "Maybe, I don't know." 

        "You should know," Araya advises her. "And you should know better. You may be a wolf and follow a different set of rules, but you are still a child of God." 

        "I'm not going to sit here and listen to your sermon," Diana states with a roll of her eyes. "Next question, please." 

        "Fine," Araya sighs out. "Children?" 

        "Yes," she answers. "I don't know how many, but we've talked about it."

        "Hmm," Araya hums. "And he treats you well?" 

        "Very," Diana responds. "He makes me happy." 

        Araya knew that her granddaughter relied heavily on her heart. Her mother had been the same way so the apple didn't fall far from the tree. The love she had for Derek Hale was a weakness in her eyes. It made her vulnerable and soft, but with the threat of la loba, Diana might rely on that heart of hers to succeed where others hadn't. She knew that the time had come for more truths to be revealed and so Araya prepared herself the best she can.

        "Remind me of the ways a person can turn into a werewolf," Araya states. 

        The question was odd but Diana played along with it knowing there was a reason Araya was asking this of her. 

        "Besides being born one, there's the bite of an Alpha, drinking water out of a werewolf's paw print, and by a scratch, if the claws go deep enough, and that's very rare because they have to survive that kind of laceration." 

        "Kate Argent," Araya asserted as her fingers tapped against the dining table. "Tell me about her death." 

        Diana didn't know why this was necessary and felt uneasy at the way her grandmother was staring her down. 

        "What does Kate have to do with this?" 

        "Answer the question, Diana." 

        "Peter Hale ripped her neck out with his claws," Diana responds before it dawned on her what her grandmother was insinuating. "What you're implying is impossible. Kate Argent is dead." 

        "No, she's not." 

        "You're wrong," Diana argues. "She was murdered a little over a year ago and the Argent's placed her coffin six feet under. It's impossible!" 

        "It's not," Araya sighs out. "When we heard about the manner of her death, we came to Beacon Hills and inspected the body. She was turning, slowly, but healing as the full moon approached. We brought her back here under our custody so she'll follow the code, but she tricked us and killed twenty of our men in her escape." 

        "La loba," Diana states. "The one you kept asking Derek about... that wasn't about me, it was about her!" 

        "He didn't know anything."

        "Of course he didn't!" Diana exclaims. "We all assumed she died and you're telling me now that she is out there alive as some powerful were-something doing who the hell knows what!" 

        "A few days ago, we managed to locate Kate and I sent four of my best men to retrieve her," Araya explains to her. 

        "And?" 

        "They didn't come back," she answers. "Kate knows too much. She was trained too well. I've been having trouble catching her which is why we need more men and why I'm having you train them." 

        "Training those kids won't do anything against her, abuela!" Diana shouts. "I could barely keep my own when I fought her and that was when she was just human! She's dirty. She and I...  we're on different levels." 

        "I'm sure with the appropriate motivation, you would find yourself meeting her level," Araya states. 

        "What do you mean by that?" Diana asks her. 

        Araya is silent for a second and Diana knew whatever she was about to say next was going to change absolutely everything. 

        "Kate has Derek Hale," Araya tells her. "She has him and I want you to use that anger that is growing deep and strong inside you and redirect it on her and not me. You're going to need that when you face her."

        "Face her?" Diana asks as she dug her claws into the palm of her hand to prevent herself from shifting into her wolf. 

        "You're the best we've ever had here," Araya tells her. "And you have an advantage that none of us have here so yes, I want you to be the one to retrieve her for me. I want you to be the one to face her and you can save your Derek Hale while you're at it." 

        Diana desperately wanted to believe this was some sort of trap, but there was no reason for her grandmother to lie and the evidence in her loft proved it to be true. The risks were heavily against her and the lack of information was what disturbed her the most.

        Kate could be a number of things and a year has gone by with many full moons to have strengthened whatever abilities she's gained. Diana did not like the odds that were stacking up against her, but the thought of Derek being held under her hold was too much for her heart to take. 

        The decision was made way before Diana knew the of the situation she was in. Her grandmother knew what she would chose before she knew it herself and she hated her for it. She hated that weeks had gone by and Diana had been blinded by her abuela's distractions. So much time wasted...

        Diana looked up at her grandmother allowing her eyes to reflect their amber color which further intrigued Araya at her granddaughter's instant change of demeanor. 

        This was the hunter she had trained so long ago. The one with hellfire in her eyes and an untamable spirit that would not rest.

        "Where is she?" 

        "Patience, mija," Araya responds. "You're going to need help on this one." 

        "I don't care..." 

        "Yes, you do," Araya interrupts her. "If you want your lobo to come out of this alive, you're going to want your friends to help you."

        "My friends?"         

        "Your pack," Araya states with a dark glint in her eyes. 

        Diana sobers up at this and concern flashes through her face. 

        "Don't worry, Dianita," Araya assures her. "I intend to welcome them with open arms."


	7. The Dark Moon

_ Puebla, Mexico _

        Lydia and Stiles surveyed the small market they found themselves in the middle of. It seemed normal enough and nothing stood out from the arguing vendors and the bartering shoppers. Lydia held her bag tightly against her as Stiles motioned for them to continue walking.

        "This doesn't seem so bad," Stiles comments.

        "It's not the town, it's the plan," Lydia remarks.

        "What's wrong with the plan?"

        "Stiles...This could be the stupidest plan we've ever come up with," Lydia states. "You're aware of that, right?"

        "I'm aware it's not our best," Stiles tells her. "Diana tends to be the voice of reason in this situation but she's been taken so we gotta make do with what we have."

        "If these people took Diana, of all people, then we're screwed," Lydia exclaimed. "We are going to die."

        "Are you saying that as a Banshee or you're just being pessimistic?" Stiles asks her.

        "I'm saying it as a person who doesn't wanna die," Lydia replied.

        "Okay, would you just mind restricting any talk of death to actual Banshee predictions?" Stiles pleaded.

        "This plan is stupid and we're going to die," Lydia repeats once more causing Stiles to sigh.

        "Oh, thank you," Stiles sarcastically remarks.

        Lydia just mockingly smiles at him and Stiles rolls his eyes at her. They walk out of the market together and enter the vacated streets that led to nowhere. The sun had started to set low in the horizon and they stop in front of a guarded door. 

        "Estamos aqui para la fiesta?" Lydia says unsurely.

        Santiago and Guillermo share a look before they shake their heads at them. 

        Stiles is quick to pull out the skull card out of his jacket and shows it to Santiago. The young Calavera barely glances at it before nodding towards the security camera perched in the corner of the doorway. Stiles picks up on the message and shifts the card toward the camera. Instantly, the door clicks and slides open. 

        Santiago nods for them to head inside and they do without another word shared. They walk into a dimly lit hallway and hear the door shut behind them before the automatic lock clicks back in place. Lydia and Stiles share a look of concern but continue forward. 

        Stiles takes notice of the shaking lights and the way the single door shook in front of them. He motions Lydia to stand behind him as his hand reached for the door knob. 

        The door swings open and the sight was very unexpected. They had thought the party invitation that Deaton had gotten for them was code for something else. They had never expected for it to genuinely be a real party invitation. 

        Music blared through the small, warm room where a fairly large crowd circulated around the room. The DJ was perched on the balcony starring down the dancing crowd below and focusing on the turntable in front of him. Severo is hidden between the shadows and immediately takes notice of the two.

        _"Tenemos visita,_ " he mumbles into the radio.

        Lydia and Stiles avoid the dance floor and moved towards the two open seats at the bar. The bartender quickly serves a line of tequila shots and slide two towards them. 

        "Oh uh," Stiles mumbles as he reaches for the wallet in his back pocket, but he's stopped as a strong hand lands on his shoulder. 

        "No, on the house," Severo states to the both of them. "Most American teenagers don't cross the border to refuse a drink."

        "We didn't come to drink," Lydia responds as she pulls the Calavera shotgun casing and drops it into the shot glass. The tequila splashes out and the engrained skull becomes prominent within it.

        Severo scowls at the sight of it and knew that any friendly negotiation was off the table. This was up for Araya to handle and Severo led them straight to her. 

******

        Araya sat behind her desk using a carving knife to rip out the stitches of the leather sack. Severo stood securely beside her with his hand perched tightly in his shotgun. The two teenagers sat nervously in front of her and were waiting for her to finish the menial task and actually speak to them. 

        "Severo hates this music," Araya states out of the blue as the blade in her hand ripped the stitches out. "Me? I've always loved the music of youth. This kind, especially. It has a savage energy."

        "We're here for Diana Cruz and Derek Hale," Lydia remarks.

        "Is that so?" Araya asks in amusement.

        "We know you have them," Lydia answers. "We've heard you can be bought."

        Stiles slams a pack of bills onto the desk and doesn't stop until he sets all five of them down.

        "That's 50,000," Stiles tells her.

        "That's pretty cheap for two lobos," Araya comments.

        "Oh, that's just for Derek," Stiles states. "You should see how much we have to offer in exchange for Diana. I can speak for all of us when I say we would pay top dollar to get her back home with us."   

        "Now, where does a teenage boy get money like this?" Araya asks. "Japanese mafia?"

        Guns are loaded and and safeties are turned off. Lydia and Stiles share concerned looks as they take notice of the number of hunters that surrounded them at this moment. 

        "Not smart to come alone," Araya states.

        Stiles can't help the grin on his lips as he leans forward in his chair.

        "What makes you think we came alone?"

        Araya scowls at the response and realized that these group of children were starter than she had suspected them to be.

        "You brought a wolf into my home?" she accuses.  

        "We brought an Alpha."

******

        Diana paced anxiously across the small circumference of her room. She could hear  _and_ feel the EDM music resonate through the thin walls of her home. Her eyes flickered to the security camera located in the corner of the room and she wondered if there was actually anybody watching her this moment. 

        Araya's paranoia was as admirable as it was pitiful, but it has saved her life more times than anyone could count. Diana knew that her best guards were monitoring the party and that she herself would intervene when anyone from her pack made their entrance. It was that detail itself that made Diana so anxious. 

        They didn't know what trap they had just walked into and the stories she told Stiles and Scott were mild compared to the recent acts she's committed. 

        The air in her room was suffocating and she quickly made her way towards the window and forced the shutters open. They slam against the bars around her window and a breeze of fresh air filters into the room. Diana lets out a sigh and takes a deep breath calming her fast beating heart. 

        Her emotions were all over the place and she blamed the incoming of the full moon for her lack in control of them. Diana wanted to be there when everything went down, but her abuela knew better. She would have spoiled everything Araya had planned but it would afford them the time she had already lost.

        With a sigh, Diana stepped away from the window and fell back into her bed. Araya had a good reason for having her locked up in her room. Her emotions were driving her and Scott would have sensed that about her. He wouldn't believe the news from her and Diana didn't have the patience to explain to him the possibility of how it was very much true. 

        Trusting Araya to deliver the news was a risk in itself and she knew Araya had something up her sleeve pertaining to the pack itself. Knowledge was power and Araya knew everything. Diana knew she couldn't stop her grandmother from attaining what she wanted to know, but she could at least control the situation in how she got it. 

        Their lives were always above her own and not even Araya's talk of family could convince her out of that.

******

        Araya rises from her seat and moves towards the window sill. The knife and leather bag are discarded in her chair as she focuses on the night sky. 

        "My friends..." Araya sighs out. "I don't think you're aware of your poor timing."

        She turns away from the window and faces them once more.

        "Do you know what the dark moon is?"

        "The part of the lunar phase when the moon is least visible in the sky," Lydia answers.

        "But do you know its meaning?" Araya asks.

        "Some people say it's a time of reflection," Lydia states. "Or grief."

        "Grief and loss, mija," Araya repeats. "My granddaughter has her own personal reasons to have risked her own skin, but you. I wonder why, when you and your friends have suffered so much loss, you would risk it again for someone like Derek Hale."

        "Cause we don't like to lose," Stiles responds.

        The conversation is put on hold as Severo's radio crackles to life. 

        _"Nadien en la cantina."_

  _"Front door clear."_

        _"South clear."_

        Severo waits for the fourth response but it doesn't arrive.

        "North?" he asks gaining no response. "Norte? Adonde esta norte?" 

        The radio crackles to life again.

        " _Stiles,"_ Scott calls out through it. " _Take 10 off the table_."

        Stiles does as he's told and takes a stack away from the table and pockets it inside his coat. 

        "Maybe you should just take the deal," Lydia advises. 

        Araya can't help but laugh at the extreme courage these two kids held in a moment like this. She could see now why Dianita is so fond of them.

        "While I'm keen to follow the warning of a Banshee, I'm going to have to decline."

        Araya looks over at Severo and he takes his radio and shotgun out of the office and back towards the rave occurring downstairs. 

        "Aaaa... Come on," Stiles groans out. "Just give us Diana and Derek back. You don't want them anyway. Haven't you noticed what a downer Derek is? No sense of humor, poor conversationalist. To be honest, I don't see what Diana sees in him. In fact, we'll be glad to just take Diana back with us. Just come on, take the money."

        Araya picks up her radio and calls out to to the only hunter standing.

        "Severo?" she calls out to him. "Show them how the Calaveras negotiate."

        Severo, who was perched by the DJ booth, picks up on the cue and tells the DJ to run the smoke. The crowd immediately goes wild in the smoke frenzy and Severo steps back inside the office in time to see Stiles and Lydia being dragged out of it. 

        Scott, Kira, and Malia were currently making their way through the maze of hallways searching for the correct door that held Diana and Derek. He could sense that she was nearby but couldn't figure out where. They all take one more turn before taking notice of the infiltrating smoke. 

        Scott motions Kira and Malia behind him as he went to investigate but the smoke blasted from pressurized sprays in the ceiling and they're completely enveloped by it. 

        "Wolfsbane," Scott cries out as he tried to not breathe it in. "It's wolfsbane!"

        The smoke was everywhere and tainting the once fresh air. Malia and Scott quickly succumb to it while Kira remained standing and unsure of what to do. 

        "Kira... Kira, get out of here!" Scott shouts at her. 

        Kira attempts to make her way through the smoke but is easily ambushed. The shotgun slams to the back of her head and her body falls in front of Scott's blurring vision. 

        Araya slowly steps into the hallway and looks down at the boy on his knees. 

        "Someone who has been an Alpha only a few months should be more careful when facing a hunter of 40 years," Araya taunts.

        "All we want is Diana and Derek," Scott pants as he tried to remain conscious.

        "Hay lobito, you're a long way from home," Araya states.

        Malia is gasping beside him and Scott's vision continues to flicker out. The sound of his fast beating heart pounded in his ear but it didn't stop his mind from realizing what trap they had fallen into. 

        Deaton had confirmed that Diana was under Araya's hold, but there had been no concrete news of Derek whatsoever. Diana had made the same assumption when she allowed herself to be brought back to Mexico. She had believed Araya had Derek, but they were both wrong. 

        "You don't know where he is either," Scott gasps out in his last breath.

        Araya's victorious grin disappears from her face and she turns on the tazer in her hand and slams it into his chest. Scott groans at the burning pain and a growl escapes his gritted teeth. Araya waits for the red of his eyes to reveal themselves, but Scott's eyes close to soon and his body drops to the ground. 

*****

_A Week Ago..._

        _Stiles rounds the medical table in the Clinic with Lydia following closely behind him. Scott enters the room after them and lets out a sigh as he stood across them._

_"_ _Ok, so how long has it been?" Stiles asks him._

_"Weeks," Scott answers. "Neither of them have gotten back to any of my texts."_

_"Has Derek ever returned your texts?"_

_"No, but Diana always does," Scott explains to him as he walked over to the cabinet and pulled it open._

_"Except when she decides to disappear," Stiles reminds him. "She's done this to us before."_

_"Yeah, but this time it felt different so I went to the loft," Scott tells them as he pulled out a silver canister and set it on the middle of the table. "The alarm was on. Everything looked okay. But then I found these."_

_Stiles drags the silver bin towards him and pulls out a single shotgun casing. He takes in the engrained Calavera and instantly knew where they came from._

_"Scott..." Stiles whispers in concern._

_"_ _I know," Scott responds. "I sent a picture of it to Deaton for confirmation."_

_"And?"_

_"He said that it's the mark of a family of hunters based out of Mexico," Scott explains to both of them. "It's them, the Calaveras."_

_Stiles lets out an anxious sigh as his fingers ran through his hair. Lydia knew that Scott and Stiles were concerned for Diana's safety, but what she didn't understand was why Derek was dragged into it._

_"What would they want with Derek?" she asks._

_"You don't think they killed them, do you?" Stiles asks Scott._

_"I... I don't know," Scott answers. "Deaton says Diana had called him but that was weeks ago and he hasn't heard from her since..."_

_Scott drags the silver canister and stops it in front of Lydia, "That's why you're here."_

_Lydia takes a deep breath and hesitantly picks up the container. Her fingers danced along the rim before her hand dives inside it and pulls out a handful of casings. They clink against each other as her fingers tried to keep a hold of them. She closes her eyes and drops the casing onto the metal table._

_Lydia can hear the men shouting and the gunshots, but her vision is blurred by smoke._

_Her silence extends to long and the way her eyes flutter open with uncertainty is a sign of concern for Stiles and Scott._

_"_ _Lydia, what?" Stiles asks her. "Are they dead?"_

_"No," Lydia answers in a bare whisper. "But I'm not sure they're alive either."_

_"What does that mean?" Scott asks._

_"I don't know," Lydia responds anxiously. "There's something not right. I just... I don't know."_

_"So if the Calaveras have Diana and Derek, how do we find them?" Stiles asks._

_Scott picks up the casing and examines it himself knowing the answer itself was clear._

_"Mexico."_

******

        Scott could see the harsh brightness of the lights above him trough closed eye lids. He lets out a light groan as he forces his eyes to flutter open. His vision is blurred at first before it clears up and reveals Kira standing above him. 

        "He's awake," she exclaims instantly. "Guys, he's awake."

        Stiles instantly runs to his side and Scott groans as he tries to sit up. Kira and Stiles help him and the ringing in his ears finally fades away.

        "Scott, you okay?" Stiles asks him. 

        "Yeah," Scott answers. "They don't have him. They don't have Derek."

        "We know," Kira tells him. "But right now, they've got Lydia."

        "Lydia?" Scott asks in concern. "What do they want with Lydia?" 

        Stiles doesn't have an answer and simply shrugs, "We don't even know if they still have Diana. Malia can't find her scent anywhere inside here." 

        Scott forces himself to stand and scans the entire cell for any clue. Malia was right, he couldn't catch a scent of Diana anywhere. He immediately heads towards the door and tries to pull it open. All of his strength is being used to pry the door open, but it doesn't show any sign of moving.

        "We already looked for a way out," Kira tells him as he gives up. "I think a lot of people have."

        Scott traces the claw markings embed on the wall and lets out a heavy sigh. An impatient Malia leans against the wall and watches the door closely. 

        "I say when that door opens again, we take out whoever's standing in the way and run for it."

        "What about Lydia?" Kira asks her.

        "What about her?" Malia asks in return.

        "We're not leaving without her," Scott tells her.

        "Why not?" Malia asks confused.

        "Because we don't leave without people," Stiles explains to her. "Remember, we talked about this? Rules of the wild kingdom don't apply to friends."

        "Is that what you would do as a coyote, leave her for dead?" Kira asks empathetically.

        "If she was weak and injured, yeah," Malia responds. "If hunting had been bad that season, I would eat her. Then I'd leave."

        "Believe it or not, that's progress," Stiles comments.

        "All right, guys, we're not dead yet," Scott states as he tried to make sense of everything. "And that means Araya wants something."

        "Or maybe that's Diana saving our asses again," Stiles points out.

        "Maybe she's not even here," Malia states. "Maybe she left."

        "But she would have called us," Scott tells her. "She would have called Deaton."

        "Then maybe she's just dead."

        "She's not!" Scott and Stiles exclaim in unison. Malia shrugs off their response and decides to remain silent.

        "If Diana knows that the Calaveras don't have Derek, that means she also knows that they didn't take him from the loft, right?" Kira asks.

        "Maybe he left on his own," Stiles states.

        Scott knew that Derek wouldn't walk out like that, not without Diana by his side. The shotgun casings were further proof that something had gone wrong. Maybe Diana realized the same thing and she let herself be brought back to Mexico to find out what actually happened. And just like Scott, she came to the same conclusion as he had.

        "Maybe someone else got to him."

******

        Araya held breakfast on the porch instead of the dining room like she was accustomed to. The day was nice out and without any foreseeable threat, it was safe to roam freely outside her family home. She poured coffee out into two sets of cups and tried to get a read from the young girl in front of her. 

        "I have to admit I don't have much experience with Banshees," Araya states.

        "That makes two of us," Lydia responds with a sigh. "Since I don't have much experience being one."

        Araya chuckles at this and sets the coffee pot aside. 

        "I have a feeling you underestimate your abilities, Lydia," Araya tells her.

        "Trust me, you'd have better luck with tarot cards," Lydia responds as she leaned back in her chair refusing to touch the cup of coffee offered in front of her.

        Araya smiles at this and takes up the challenge.

        "Let's find out," she remarks as she takes a drink from her own cup. "Tell me, which one of these men is about to die?" 

        Lydia turns to the two armed men guarding their table with unease and Araya smiles at the result. She plucks the orange from the fruit bowl in front of them and begins to carve it with her knife. 

        "How does it work?" Araya asks the young Banshee. "Do you need to touch them? Maybe I give you something they own. Or is it just a... a feeling?"

        "I told you I don't know," Lydia answers nervously. 

        Araya sets the orange and knife down as she stared the Banshee down. Her fingers tapped against the metal blade as she tried to make sense of her power.

        "Just how close to death do they have to be?"

        Lydia slowly glances over to the two men who seemed to be finishing their discussion. She barely registers Araya's incessant tapping as she tried to listen to the sounds of the dead. In an instance, those voice become silent as Araya throws the knife into the guard's chest. 

        The man grunts and drops to his knees before his body topples over. Lydia lets out a short scream as she stumbles out of her chair. 

        "Why did you do that for?"

        "He stole from me," Araya responds as if the answer justified the action.

        Lydia, shaken from the blatant murder, loses the last of her dwindling courage.

        "What do you want?" she whispers.

        "Right now?" Araya responds. "I want to know about Scott McCall. I want to know what kind of Alpha he really is." 

******

        After being tazed into a brief oblivion, Scott awoke to his hands being chained under a metal chair. His hands try to break the restraints but the chains were too thick to be broken and whatever energy he had, was gone. Stiles and Malia were nowhere to be seen and Scott found Kira standing uncomfortably next to a scowling Severo. No one said a word and Scott didn't know what to expect until the door swung open. 

        Araya steps into the room with Guillermo dragging Lydia by her side. She nods for him to take her to the chair beside Scott and Guillermo forces Lydia to take a seat and chains her down. 

        "Let her go," Scott pleads. "Look... you've got me. Just let the others go."

        Araya smiles at the Alpha's desperate pleas and remained silent wanting to see his reaction as he realized what she had planned for them. 

        Severo drags Kira towards the generator and forces her hand onto the dial. 

        "Your hand goes here," he tells her before looking up at the Banshee and Alpha. "So, let me explain what's about to happen. This one, the fox, has an immunity to electricity. So she's going to turn the dial on the Alpha. If she doesn't, I turn the dial on the Banshee."

        "No," Kira exclaims as she struggles within his hold. "I'm not doing this."

        "O si?" Severo sarcastically remarks. "Are you sure?"

        He forces her hand on the dial once more and explains the situation with more alarming detail. 

        "One of your friends has the power to heal," Severo warns her. "The other? Not so much."

        "What are you doing?" Scott asks as he pulls at his chains. "Is this a game to you?"

        "This is a test, lobito," Araya responds. "Let's see if you pass. We're going to ask some questions. You answer them, nobody gets hurt. You don't answer, we turn on the dial."

        It sounded simple enough, but Scott knew there would be some sort of twist, but he was willing to take the risk in order to keep Lydia safe. 

        "Do what they say," Scott advises Kira. "Okay? Whatever they want, I can take it."

        "So... We don't know where Derek is," Araya paints the scenario. "We want to find him as well and you know who took him."

        "What?" Scott asks baffled by the insinuation. "How would I know that?"

        "That doesn't sound like an answer to me," Araya warns them.

        "We don't know," Lydia states. "Why do you think we came here?"

        Araya is displeased with their answers and lets out a sigh.

        "Kira, turn the dial."

        Kira shakes her head refusing to inflict pain on Scott, but Araya wasn't having none of it.

        "Should we turn the dial on Lydia instead?" Araya asks her.

        "No, no!" Scott shouts instantly. "Do it, Kira. Do it."

        Kira apologetically looks at him but Scott nods for her to follow their orders. 

        "Let's start at one," Araya states.

        Severo keeps her hand onto the dial and with no other choice, Kira turns the dial up. Scott's hand clutch the metal chair as a high pulse of electricity ran through him. He tries to restrain his groans of pain but it was becoming too much for him to withhold. 

        "Tell me!" Araya shouts over his growls. "Who actually has Derek? Who had a reason, a vendetta particular to the Hales?"

        "I said I don't know," Scott pants weakly.

        "Oh, you don't know because you haven't figured it out yet!" Araya exclaims. "So think! Who could've taken him?"

        Severo motions Kira forward, "Tres."

        She hesitates once more and Scott nods encouragingly at her.

        "It's okay," he whispers.

        Kira turns the dial up and closes her eyes as Scott tried to keep his reactions in check. 

        "Who had the power?" Araya demands. "The power of a shapeshifter?"

        "I don't know," Scott answers.

        "Someone who could have turned without you knowing," Araya feeds to him. "Turned, but not by a bite!"

        "I don't know!"

        Frustrated with the results, Araya turns towards Kira and demands for the highest voltage. 

        "Diez!"

        Kira shakes her head not willing to go that far.

        "Diez!"

        She hesitates and Araya does not waste time before shoving her away and turning the dial herself. Scott's screams can't be restrained and they echo through the whole room. 

        His mind is blinded by the pain before a short fragment of a lost memory resonates through his thoughts. 

_"Can you get turned by a scratch?"_

_"If the claws go deep enough_."

        Her face comes clearly to his mind and Scott can barely contain himself at the result. His arms break through the chains and a howl escapes from his throat.

        Tiredly, his hand reaches for the chair as he tried to keep himself up.

        "Say the name, Scott," Araya states receiving the answer she was looking for the same time he received his.

        The red glow of his eyes fade away and Scott looks up to an awaiting Araya.

        "Kate."

******

        After Araya's test, things ran smoother than Scott thought was possible. They were all freed from their chains and captivity altogether. All of their belongings were returned, but no apologies were offered by the manner in which they had been previously treated. Everyone had left except for Scott as he had his own private discussion with Araya.

        "So... you're just letting us go?" he asks in disbelief.

        "I sent four men out to where Kate was rumored to have been seen," Araya confides in him. "None of them came back. Let's see if you can do better."

        "You could've just told me Kate was alive," Scott tells her.

        "You wouldn't have believed me," Araya answers as he walked him outside.

        "What about Diana?" Scott asks.

        "What about her?" Araya responds. 

        "Did she know about this?" Scott asks her. "Did you tell her?" 

        "She, like you, came to the conclusion herself with a bit of my help," Araya responds. 

        "So where is she now?" 

        Araya chuckles at this and looks away from the young Alpha. 

        "Now I know what kind of Alpha you are and where your next step lies," Araya states with the intention of changing the course of the conversation.

        "What next step?" Scott asks confused. 

        "When you take the bite of an innocent, when you make a wolf of your own, when you do that, then, I will cross your border and come knocking at your door." 

        Araya takes her leave after her threat and Scott is only left to return to his friends who were waiting for him beside Stiles' Jeep. 

        "So what now?" Stiles asks him. "What about Diana? I thought Araya had her?"

        "Araya thinks she knows where we can find Derek," Scott tells them. "And maybe if we find Derek, we'll find Diana too."

        "Is she gonna tell us where we can find them?" Malia asks him.

        "Uh, actually, she's giving us a guide," Scott states.

        Not a second passes after Scott explains the situation that a roar of an incoming motorcycle makes their way towards them. Scott steps out of her way and watches the rider park her motorcycle before removing the casket from her face.

        Diana's smiling face comes into view and Stiles and Scott can't help the relieved laugh that escapes their lips at the sight of her. 

        "Miss me?" she asks with a taunting grin. 

        Scott and Stiles immediately tackle her into an embrace and she struggles to keep herself and her motorcycle up by the force they came at her. 

        "Hey now!" she exclaims as they pulled away from her. "Watch the bike, it's vintage." 

        "Where have you been?" Scott exclaims. "We've been looking for you!" 

        "I was closer than you think," Diana answers as she motioned to the house they all just left from. "I was locked in my room so I wouldn't interfere."  

        "Are you ok, though?" Stiles asks as he eyed her for bruises or new scars. "They didn't like torture you, right?"

        "No, but they did keep my jeans and leather jacket hostage," Diana states with a chuckle. "And they also made me wear summer dresses and listen to old family secrets which were... yeah, torture would have been better than what I went through." 

        Scott and Stiles frown as they hear this unsure of what to make of Diana's response. She shivers at the thought of her time spent at home and shifts her thoughts elsewhere. 

        "It's good to be in the comfort of jeans and my leather jacket and in company of people I know and trust," Diana states. "And I'll be even more pleased if we could hit the road soon because I've kept Derek waiting long enough."

        "Where are we headed?" Scott asks.

        Diana hesitates in giving an answer already growing uneasy.

        "It's a place called la Iglesia," Diana tells them. "Not a lot of people know about it and the few that do wouldn't dare make the trip there." 

        " _The Church_?" Lydia translates not seeing much of a threat in the location.

        "What's _the Church_?" Stiles asked Diana.

        "It's not a place you'll find God." 

******

        Hours have passed by since they left Araya's family home. Diana lead them on her motorcycle while Stiles followed closely behind her with everyone else. They had offered to ride altogether but Diana had instantly refused. Scott didn't miss the way she grasped the handles of the motorcycle as if it would disappear if she let go. The subject had been dropped and Diana led them through the dust road alone. 

        The trip had primarily been spent in silence at everyone tried to make sense of what they had found out. Malia is the first to ask for an explanation with Kira seconding her demand. Having no other choice, Scott, Lydia, and Stiles slowly piece together the events that occurred a year ago. 

        The conversation is cut short as Stiles suddenly looses control of the Jeep which seems to steer them off the make-shift road. 

        Diana takes notice of their sudden stop and instantly turns her bike around to return back to them. 

        Everyone climbs out of the Jeep as Diana parks and dismounts her motorcycle. She removes her casket and hangs it on one of the handles. 

        "What happened?" she asks them. 

        "I don't know," Stiles tells her. "It felt like we hit something."

        Diana lets out a sigh and glances over at the sun that was close to setting in the horizon. 

        "Scott, we need to get there by night," she warns him. "It's too dangerous otherwise."

        Scott hesitates and Stiles makes his mind up for him. 

        "Go."

        "Not without you," Scott responds.

        "Dude, you need to help Diana get Derek back," Stiles tells him. "We'll figure something out. We always do. Just go."

        "Okay," Scott sighs out.

        Diana offers him a relieved smile and heads back to her motorcycle. Scott starts to follow after her until Kira calls out his name. She runs up to him and offers him a nervous smile.

        "Scott... I can't think of anything else to say except for be careful," Kira states. "And... and I know "Be careful" sounds kind of lame and I'm totally sure the second you're gone I'm gonna think of something much better, but I... "

        "Uh, "Be careful" works for me," Scott responds with a nervous smile of his own.

        Kira pulls him into a hug and Scott takes a second before hugging her back. Diana can't help but grimace at the scene in front of her and quickly pulls the helmet over her head to hide her expression. 

        "Scott, the sun's going down," she shouts impatiently.

        Scott's hold on Kira tightens before he forces himself to let her go, "I gotta go."

        Kira nods at this and watches as Scott ran towards Diana and joined her on the motorcycle. She's quick to rev her motorcycle up and makes a sharp U-turn before driving down the road once more. Kira watches as they disappear out of her sight and lets out a sigh. 

******

        The sun had yet to set when Diana pulled her bike towards the curb and shut it off. Scott climbs out of it while Diana took her time to tap the kickstand in place and climbing out of it herself. She took her helmet off and set it aside as she walked over the edge of the road. 

        "The road gets too uneven from here. It's as far as we can go on the bike," Diana tells him. "We're going to have to walk the rest of it down."

        Scott moves to stand beside her and she nods towards the scene before her.

        "La Iglesia," Diana sighs out.

        "What happened here?" Scott asks as he took in the old abandoned ruins.

        "An earthquake," she answers simply. "It leveled the town."

        "Then why is the Church still standing?" 

        "My father told me it's because of what's underneath," Diana whispers.

        "Do I wanna know?" Scott asks seeing the contemplative look on Diana's face.

        "La Iglesia was built over the ruins of an Aztec temple," Diana explains. "It belonged to a people called the _nagual."_

"Shapeshifters?" Scott translates. 

        "Were-jaguars," Diana corrects.

        "So Derek and Kate are somewhere in there?" Scott asks her. 

        Diana brought her hand up to the mate mark on her neck, but the connection she once felt was weak and almost gone. 

        "I don't know," Diana answers as she lets her hand drop to her side once more. "I've never gotten this far before."

        Diana turns away from the view and removes the keys from the ignition. She pulls out her shotgun and swings it across her back. 

        "Let's start hiking down," Diana tells him. "We're running out of daylight." 

        Scott is quick to follow after her as she starts to trek down the sandy road. He glances back to the bike they just left behind before focusing on her once more. 

        "So you got a new bike?"

        Diana was caught off guard by the question and she lets out a sigh.

        "It's my dad's," she answers.

        "He letting you borrow it?"

        "No," she answers. "It's more like my inheritance. Scott, my father's dead."

        "Oh," Scott mumbles accepting the answer before it actually hit him. "Oh... Oh my God, are you ok?"

        "Yeah, I'm fine," Diana answers with a shrug. "I cried and I screamed and I cursed the heavens. I got it all out of my system." 

        Scott stares at her unsure if he should believe her but Diana had no reason to lie to him. 

        "We were afraid Araya killed you," Scott tells her. "Deaton told us they follow the hunter's code like law and we thought... we thought you were dead." 

        "I thought so too," Diana answers. "But it seems that even they have their own limits."

        "What do you mean?" 

        "It's a long story, but my grandmother claims I'm the exception," Diana tells him. "She says she lost her daughter, which is my mother, that way and she couldn't handle losing me in the same manner. Something about me looking and acting too much like her or something..."

        "You don't believe her?" 

        "At the moment I did," Diana answers. "And maybe, part of it was true, but I think she kept me alive for this reason. So I could come out here and finish what she started." 

        "Why you?" Scott asks.

        "Because I'm the best she ever trained," Diana answers. "And with my werewolf abilities, she thinks I'm the most qualified to face Kate."

        The conversation comes to a pause as they reached the outskirts of the abandoned city. The Church stood prominently on it's own and they walked towards it.

        "So $50,000 for Derek, huh?" Diana asks in amusement. 

        "You heard about that?" Scott nervously responds. 

        "My grandmother told me," she tells him. "She also said you were going to offer more for me, but y'all never gave her those numbers. So tell me, how much were you guys going to offer for little old me?"

        "Umm Stiles was bluffing when he said that," Scott tells her. "We did not have any more money than what we were offering for Derek. We were just hoping to break both of you out while Stiles and Lydia bartered for both of you."

        "That was risky," Diana comments with a chuckle. "But something I would have done too." 

        Scott smiles at this and Diana playfully shoves him aside as they continued to walk through the abandoned city. It didn't take long for the sun to set low and disappear under the horizon. Diana and Scott looked past the darkness as they slowly approached the Church.

        "If you find Kate in here, what are you gonna do with her?" Scott asks her.

        "Bring her back to the Calaveras," Diana answers. "I'm hoping they leave me alone as a curtousy for doing their heavy lifting."

        "What happens to Kate after that?"

        "Not my problem," Diana answers with a shrug.

        "You don't care?" Scott asks surprised. 

        "This is Kate Argent, we're talking about," Diana reminds him. "Do you care?"

        Scott doesn't respond and Diana takes that as an answer. The conversation comes to an end as they reach the front doors of the Church. They warily step through the entrance and Diana immediately stops.

        "Did you catch Derek's scent?" Diana asks Scott.

        "Yeah, I already got it," Scott assures her.

        Diana was ready to keep moving but Scott quickly pulls her back.

        "What?" she asks him.

        A distant roar is heard and Scott scowls in concern.

        "There's something else in here," Scott points out. "Something not human." 

        Diana tries to focus on the intruder but her senses can only focus on Derek's sent causing her mate mark to throb uncontrollably. 

        "I can't focus," Diana tells him nervously. "Not with Derek being so close by."

        Scott understands her predicament and nods in understanding. Diana is more wary than before as she loads the shotgun in her hand and steps deeper into the church. 

        Diana leads them down the staircase and narrowly avoids the aged spider webs that clung to the ceiling. She glances back at Scott and knew a distraction was needed to draw their minds out of the impending confrontation of Kate Argent. 

        "So, how come you didn't kiss her?" Diana asks him.

        "What?"

        "How come you didn't kiss your girlfriend?" 

        "You mean, Kira?" Scott asks surprised. 

        "Kira," Diana repeats once more having forgotten the name of the newbie. "Right, why didn't you kiss Kira?" 

        "Well, she's not really, uh... I mean, we've never actually..." Scott mumbles before reluctantly coming to conclusion. "She's not my girlfriend."

        Diana can't help the chuckle that escapes her mouth and Scott slightly glares at her for it. 

        "I'm sorry, but that makes the whole "Be careful" thing less cringy," Diana comments. "I thought you guys were just two awkward teenagers, but not I know you _are_ two awkward teenagers who just haven't talked about their silly emotions." 

Scott shakes his head at her mocking and lets out a sigh.

 _"_ So if we die down here, are you gonna regret not kissing her?" Diana asks him.

        Another roar echoes somewhere around them and Scott glances over at Diana in concern. She merely lets out a sigh and takes the lead once more.

        "You should've kissed your girlfriend."

        Diana walks further down the stone halls attempting to make sense of the maze they were walking around in. The deeper they went, the stronger Derek's scent. This should have been a sign of relief for her if it wasn't for the strong smell of death that interlaced with his scent.

        The silence laced itself around them as they continued to walk down the abandoned tunnels. Scott followed closely behind Diana and tried to focus on the lack of sound. There was something there with them and Scott tried to catch any sign of it before it could catch a sign of them. 

        There's a slight rattle that echoes behind him and Scott instantly turns to look back. Diana takes notice of this and glances back at him. 

        "What?" she whispers.

        "Just had a feeling like something was behind us," Scott tells her.

        Diana holds her shotgun tightly and lays her finger on the trigger. They start to move once more, attentive more than ever, as they tried to walk without making a noise. 

        Something exhales loudly near them and Diana is quick to turn towards the source of the noise. 

        "You hear that?" she asks Scott as a growl rebounds through the walls.

        "Is this why you never get that far?" Scott asks in return. 

        Heavy footsteps echo around them and Diana can't help but panic as she can't find the source of the direction. She forces herself in front of Scott and raises her shotgun up.

        "Get ready!"

        She pulls the trigger and the shot hits nothing but stone. Her aim is useless without their attacker coming into range, but Diana continues to shoot hoping it'll be frightened away. 

        "Where is it?" Diana asks him as she unloads the empty shotgun shells and replaces them. "Do you see it?"

        "No, I don't know!" Scott shouts. "I can't see anything!"

        "Where is this thing?"

        Another growl echoes nearby and they can hear it running towards them once more. 

        "Scott," Diana whispers as fear racked through her entire body. "Get behind me."

        Scott ignores her as he steps in front of her. Diana cocks her gun but it was no use for her if Scott didn't get out of her way. 

        "Scott, get behind me!"

        He doesn't move and instead prepares himself for what has to be done. Scott lets it builds deep inside his chest before releasing a loud menacing howl.

        No more footsteps or growls could be heard and Diana slowly uncovers her ears.

        "I think I scared it," Scott states as he turns to look back at her.

        "I think you scared everything," Diana responds with a chuckle.

        The rocks continue to crash down due to Scott's howl and a doorway reveals itself behind them. 

        "What is that?" Scott asks.

        Diana steps inside the small room and recognizes the stone carving in front of her.

        "Tezcatlipoca," she states as she kneels in front of it and lets her hand trace around the seal. "The nagual jaguar God. I think we found Derek."

        "Stand back," Scott tells her as he raises his fist but Diana stops him before he can break the stone.

        "No," she tells him. "Allow me." 

        Diana uses the but of her shotgun and smashes it into the stone. A big whole caves in and she quickly throws her gun aside as she claws and further breaks the seal. The whole becomes big enough and Scott and Diana peer inside where a hand extends towards them.

        "Oh, my God," Diana whispers as she stumbles away from the sight before her.

        "We've got to help him out," Scott tells her. "We have to go." 

        Diana swallowed down her panic and nods at Scott as they pulled the body out of the hole. Scott did most of the heavy lifting as Diana tried not to look at the body beside her. They make their way upside and Diana is the first to step out of the church without glancing back. 

        The Jeep pulls up abruptly in front of them and everyone piles out of the car. Scott drags his unconscious body out towards them and Diana finds herself helping him up. 

        "Is that him?" Malia asks. "Is that Derek?"

         "Uh, sort of."

        Derek tiredly lifts his face up, but the man before them was no longer a man. He was a kid like the rest of them and Diana didn't know exactly what that meant for her.


	8. 117

_There is a full house out awaiting in the bleechers of the gym. The basketball team, his friends, shout excitedly around him as they pile out of the locker room to face their final opponent on the court. Derek wants to blame it on the stress of the incoming game or the high stimuli that came with his rowdy teammates. The reason didn't exactly matter because the result was all the same as he tried to grasp control of the wolf inside him._

_The shower runs ice cold and Derek is gasping for his breath as he tried to snap himself out of his shift. He was having trouble holding what little control he had left when Peter's grinning face appeared in the now vacant locker room. Peter shuts the water off and picks Derek off the floor._

_"I thought... I thought I could control it," Derek gasps out._

_"All this risk just for a basketball game?" he asks._

_"It's the finals," Derek exclaims desperately. "They need me."_

_"To do what?" Peter asks. "Rip someone's throat out on the court?"_

_Derek looks down in guilt at Peter's questions and the elder Hale lets out a sigh._

_"Even born wolves have to learn control on a full moon, Derek."_

_"Yeah, but it's supposed to be easier for us," Derek states as he pushes past Peter and stumbles into the lockers. "Why does it hurt like this?"_

_Peter ignores the question and helps Derek to stand straight._

_"Did you bring it?" Peter asks him._

_"It's not working..." Derek growls._

_"Did you bring it?" Peter asks again._

_Derek nods and pulls the Triskelion pendant out of the pocket of his sweatpants._

_"Go ahead," Peter instructs._

_"I told you, it's not working," Derek pants._

_"Do it!" Peter shouts._

_Having no other choice and no solution in sight, Derek starts to chant the mantra._

_"Alpha, Beta, Omega..."_

_"Again."_

_"Alpha, Beta, Omega..."_

_Derek drops to his knees and holds the pendant with both hands trying to establish a connection to it._

_"Again."_

_"Alpha, Beta, Omega..."_

_"Again!"_

_Derek can't hold it back any longer and his claws, blue eyes, and fangs extend against his will._

_"Alpha, Beta, Omega..." Derek repeats but the words aren't enough as the pain takes over. He lets out a scream and everything fades away after that._

_******_

Diana's POV,  _Animal Clinic_

        The Jeep is already parked at the Animal Clinic when I arrive. The harsh pelts of rain hit me as I park my bike beside them and I watch helplessly as Scott and Stiles carry an unconscious Derek inside. I take a minute too long and Lydia, whose holding the door open for me, calls my name and motions me inside. 

        I quickly step off my motorcycle and run through the rain to join them all inside the Clinic. I rip off my soaked jacket as I walk into the examination room where Derek is laid out on the table. It still takes me by surprise as I see the young face Derek possessed now.

        "Wow," Deaton comments as he takes the sight in.

        "Wow?" Stiles repeats. "Wow as in, "I've seen this before and I know exactly what to do," kind of wow? Cause that's the kind of wow we were hoping for."

        "I second that," I state as I looked at Deaton in desperation. "Please tell me there is a way to reverse this."

        "I think you might be overestimating my abilities," Deaton answers.

        I let out a shaky sigh as I looked down at young Derek. My emotions were already scattered and this further pushed me to the edge. I am relieved to have him back, but not in this way. I never wanted Derek back this way. 

        My hand reaches into his and I wince at how shockingly cold he was. 

        "He's cold," I tell Deaton. "Really cold."

        Deaton places the back of his hand on Derek's forehead and realizes I'm right. 

        "Do you think this is permanent?" Scott asks Deaton.

        "I'm not sure a medical diagnosis is even adequate," Deaton responds. "This is well beyond my experience."

        "So what do we do with him?" Stiles asks.

        "Until he wakes up, probably not much," Deaton answers. "It might be best to leave him with me. He'll be safe here."

        "You mean from Kate?" Stiles clarifies.

        "If she's alive and she is what you say she is, she won't be able to walk past that gate," Deaton offers.

        "Why would she want do this to him?" Lydia asks him.

        "Knowing Kate, it's probably for a reason that won't be any good for anyone but her," Deaton responds.

        "And bad for everyone else," I scoff out as I stared at young Derek's resting expression.

        "You guys should probably go home," Deaton tells them. "He doesn't look to be in any danger. So maybe the rest of you should get some sleep? It is a school night... And you all need to start taking care of your own lives again."

        "Someone should stay with you," Scott states. 

        "I'll stay," I tell them. "My coaching job was seasonal and since Cross Country season is over, I've received some time off."

        "I'm so not okay with this," Stiles offers with a shake of his head.

        "You saved me and you helped me save him, but you've done enough," I state. "I'll take it from here."

        "No," Stiles tries to argue with me. 

        "Text us if anything happens," Scott tells me as he steps away from the table. 

        "Nope, still not okay with it," Stiles exclaims. "Not going anywhere."

        Scott and Lydia start to pull him out of the clinic and I can hear him mumble unhappily as he's dragged out. I let out a sigh once they're gone and Deaton's hand rests on my shoulder in reassurance. 

        "You should rest too, you know?" Deaton states. "You also had a long day, probably longer than theirs." 

        I offer him a small smile and simply drag a stool next to the table and take a seat. My hand never left his and I continue to watch him as he sleeps. From the corner of my eye, Deaton pulls up another seat and takes the seat across from me.

        "I recoiled," I confess to him. "I recoiled the moment I saw him like this." 

        "You were taken by surprise," Deaton explains but I didn't believe in that simple answer.

        "I also hesitated coming inside after Scott and Stiles brought him in," I tell him. "I was ready to bolt if it wasn't for Lydia who beckoned me inside." 

        Deaton is silent at this and I glance up at him.

        "I'm afraid," I whisper as my eyes shift down to Derek's face. "And I know I shouldn't jump to conclusions, but I am. I'm afraid this is permanent and he's going to be stuck like this and I can't... I can't be in love with a man that looks like this." 

        "This is still the same Derek Hale you know," Deaton assures me.

        "No," I answer. "This is the Derek Hale that high school-me had a crush on, but he's no longer that guy and I'm no longer that girl. This is not the same Derek." 

        Deaton's hand reaches for mine and I force myself to look at him once more.

        "Until he wakes, we won't know that for sure," Deaton states.

        I let out a sigh and allow myself to relax for the first time today. Deaton smiles down at me and I let out another deep breath as I sunk into my chair. 

        "Tell me about your time with Araya," Deaton asks as he leaned back into his seat.

        "You're trying to distract me," I whisper as I notice the obvious tactic he's attempting to use. 

        "I am, but I'm also curious about what happened to you down there," Deaton responds. "So tell me, what happened to you in Mexico?" 

        I allow a small smile on my lips as I thought of an answer to give. 

        "I found peace." 

******

        The sun illuminates the whole room and I slowly blink awake. I lift my head from the medical table and take notice of the blanket that slips down my shoulders. I quickly shift my focus to Derek who is still young and asleep. I let out a sigh and tried to stretch my stiff muscles without having to move from my seat. 

        Deaton walks inside the room and I offer him a greeting smile. The room remains silent and I watch as Deaton does some basic check-ups. 

        "I didn't mean to fall asleep," I tell him. "I didn't get to finish my story about the first training I ran. Did I miss anything?" 

        "No, nothing's changed," Deaton offers. 

        "How's he doing?" I ask him.

        "His heart rate is alarmingly high," Deaton tells me as he finishes up on taking his pulse.

        I look down at the hand I'm holding him and realize how warm it feels against my own.

        "He's a lot warmer now," I comment.

        "Diana, I'm going to try something," Deaton states. "I want you to keep holding his hand if that's okay."

        I nod at his request and watch as he pulls a sterilized scalpel from the table and makes a long incision on his forearm. As the incision is made it heals as if it was never there. 

        "That healed really fast," I tell him.

        "Unusually fast," Deaton comments.

        "What does it mean?" I ask him.

        "I'm not sure," Deaton sighs out. "Let's try something else. Grab me a five milliliter syringe. Top drawer."

        I reluctantly release Derek's hand and move to the cabinets in the corner of the room to retrieve the syringe. Deaton works beside me as he searches for the correct vial. Both of our backs are turned to Derek when I hear a small growl come behind us. 

        Deaton and I slowly turn around to find young Derek sitting up from the medical table with his claws extended.

        "Derek..." I call out to him. 

        Derek steps down from the table and lets out another growl.

        "Derek," Deaton calls out to him. "Are you all right?"

        Blue eyes met mine and his chest rose rapidly with every rapid breath he took.

        "Derek..." I whisper. "Derek, it's me."

        Derek takes a threatening step forward and Deaton pushes me behind him.

        "Wait," he tells me.

        "Derek, can you hear me?" I ask. "Derek?"

        He clutches his head as if he's in pain and I grow worried as I watch him unfold. He lets out a growl before clawing Deaton's arm and throwing him across the room. I quickly move to Deaton's side and take notice of the deep graze on his arm. When I look up, the doors are swinging open and Derek is long gone. 

******

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills HS_

        Mr. Yukimura picks up the chalk and writes two simple words on the board: History Failures. He wipes off the residue chalk off his fingers and faces the full class in front of him. 

        "It might surprise you to know that some of history's greatest leaders have had to endure some pretty great failures," he starts off. "One you'll recognize from last night's reading failed in business, had a nervous breakdown, was defeated for both houses of Congress, and lost as Vice President, before he was finally elected as one of the greatest presidents that this country has ever seen."

        Mr. Yukimura pauses in his lecture before asking the ultimate question.

        "Who was he?"

        A few of the students raise their hand including his own daughter, Kira, and a confident Stiles. Malia didn't dare look upward as she tried to highlight all of the text in the packet that didn't make sense to her.

        "Malia," Mr. Yukimura calls out to her to answer the simple question.

        Malia drops the marker in her hand and nervously looks up. Scott and Stiles glance back at her before Scott's phone begins to vibrate on his desk.

        "Scott, phones off," Mr. Yukimura reminds him before turning back on Malia. "Malia? One of our greatest presidents. Gettysburg Address?"

        Malia starts to shift through the reading packets that littered her desk as she tried to find the answer. Stiles' phone beeps with a notification and Mr. Yukimura lets out a sigh.

        "Phones off. _Everyone,_ " he warns causing Stiles to shut the sound and set his phone aside. Mr. Yukimura looks back at the young coyote, "Malia?"

        Malia is skimming through her textbook now, but enough time was given for her to find an answer.

        "Does anyone else know?" 

        Every hand in the room raises in the air and Malia defeatedly sinks back into her chair. Another phone goes off with a notification and Mr. Yukimura has had enough with the distractions.

        "I said phones off!"

        Kira raises her hand once more, "Dad, that was yours."

        Taken by surprise, Mr Yukimura bashfully looks down at his desk and picks up his phone.

        "Oh, um..." he mumbles as he reads the text on his screen out loud. "Scott, call Diana."

******

Diana's POV,  _Animal Clinic_

        I wrap the bandages tightly around his arm and secure it with medical tape. Scott and Stiles had arrived as soon as they received our message and the scene they walked into was evident enough that we did not handle this as well as we thought we could. 

        "I don't think he's just younger in body," Deaton explains to them. "I think he's younger in his mind too."

        "He didn't recognize either of us," I state with a sigh. "He didn't recognize _me_ and I understand I have aged since he knew me back then, but... he looked like he was scared out of his mind."

        "So if you're a teenage werewolf and you're scared, where do you go?" Stiles asks.

        "A wolf goes back to its den," Scott states. "But Derek lives in a loft."

        "Not when he was a teenager," I comment.

        "The Hale House?" Stiles offers.

        "He wouldn't remember the fire," Deaton states. "It wouldn't have happened yet."

        Scott and Stiles seem ready to run out of the room, but I quickly stop them. 

        "Hold on," I call out. "If you do manage to catch up to him, what are you going to say to him? That his whole family is dead?"

        "I uh... I guess I'm going to have to," Scott sighs out. "Or well, you can do it." 

        "Why me?"

        "I mean, you're his mate," Scott states. "He'll want to hear it from you."

        "He's a kid, which is way before we even mated," I point out. "Are you suggesting we drop two very big truth bombs on him?" 

        "She's probably right," Stiles comments. "Maybe we shouldn't tell him. You know, at least until we figure out how to get him back to normal."

        "I can't lie to him," Scott tells us. 

        "Okay, I'll do it," Stiles volunteers.

        "I don't think any of us can," Scott states. "Remember, he can hear a heartbeat rising and I know Diana can do it, but it's not right. When we find him, we tell him the truth."

        "If he gets to the house first, you won't have to," Deaton tells them.

        It was evident now that time was working against us and so Scott and Stiles don't hesitate to leave in hopes of catching up to him on time. I hesitate once more in following after them but I knew that out of everyone, Derek would need me there to help him pick up the pieces. Even if I had a hand in breaking him. 

******

Third POV, _BH Police Station_

        Derek didn't understand what had happened and why everyone seemed so casual at the sight of the burned Hale house. The house he had grown up in was now torn down and the two officers that had come to detain him due to his "wrongful" intrusion wouldn't respond to his questions.

        The rougher of the two deputies had pulled a taser on him and just in time because Derek could feel himself losing the little control he managed to hold at the moment. 

        They drove him back to the station and had taken his prints when he refused to speak to them. Derek was then handcuffed to the bench and left alone.

        Deputy Parrish pitied the lost look the young boy gave as he scanned the station. He should have stepped between Haigh and the kid sooner and this whole misunderstanding wouldn't have happened. They would have gotten answers with a gentler touch and could have processed him faster. 

        It was never too late to correct his wrongs and so Deputy Parrish approached the kid. 

        "The other deputy thinks I'm an idiot for even asking, but I have a feeling if I take these cuffs off you're going to be okay?" Deputy Parrish asks only receiving a silent stare from the kid. "And I think you'll help us figure out what happened to your family so that we can get you out of here. Am I right?"

        Derek slowly nods at this and Parrish keeps his promise as he unlocks the handcuffs around his wrists.

        "The other deputy's the idiot," Derek comments as he rubs his wrists.

        "I can't argue with that," Parrish responds with a chuckle.

        Glaring at them both, Haigh calls out to his partner to join him at his desk. 

        "I ran this kid's prints eight times," Haigh states as he motioned to the computer screen. "This is all that comes up."

        On Haigh's screen, a single side frame of Derek Hale's picture appears with his record outlined beside it.

        "Derek Hale?" Parrish asks in disbelief. 

        "Did you say Hale?" Sheriff Stilinski asks as he walked past their desk.

        He glances at the record on the screen before looking up at the kid benched in front of him. The similarities were alarming and the Sheriff approaches the young boy and expects him more closely before glancing back at the picture on record. He's unsure of what to do before an alarmed Stiles, Scott, and Diana run into the station.

        "I'll handle this," he mutters as he motions the trio inside his office.

        The Sheriff paced in front of his desk for a solid minute before he finally calmed down and turned to them. He leaned on his desk and let out a heavy sigh.

        "I want you to be honest with me," the Sheriff states. "Absolutely and completely honest."

        The three of them nod and the Sheriff continues. 

        "Have you been time traveling?"

        "Hang on, what?" Stiles asks surprised by the question.

        "Because if time traveling is real, you know what? I'm done. I'm out," Sheriff Stilinski exclaims at the thought of it. "You're going to be driving me to Eichen House."

        "No, no, no. It's nothing like that," Diana responds as she offers the Sheriff a calm smile. "We actually found him like this."

        "Where?" the Sheriff exclaims. "Swimming in the fountain of youth?"

        "No," Stiles answers. "We found him buried in a tomb of wolfsbane in an Aztec temple in Mexico underneath a church in the middle of a town that was destroyed by an earthquake."

        "You told me you were camping!" Sheriff exclaims in annoyance.

        "Yeah, we were... In Mexico," Stiles stammers out.

        "Look, Derek's been aged backwards," Scott explains to him. "He can't remember anything."

        "We just need to talk to him," Stiles asks his dad.

        "Yeah, well, so far he's not talking to anybody," the Sheriff comments with a sigh.

        Diana lets out a sigh and brushed her hair aside to reveal the mate mark on her neck, "He'll talk to me." 

        The Sheriff had already panicked under the situation but he realized just now how much it must have frightened Diana out at the sight of him. Knowing there wasn't much he could police-wise, giving the three of them a shot at fixing this was the only solution he could find through this whole mess. 

        Diana was now the one pacing nervously in the office as Scott and Stiles watched her move back and forth in front of them. She was nervous and it was obvious to even Stiles. After a few minutes, the Sheriff brings Derek into the office as he handled things outside with his deputies. 

        Young Derek takes a seat on the couch and Diana is forced to stop her pacing as she stared at the boy in front of her. Scott and Stiles offer her an encouraging smile which motivates her enough to take a step forward. 

        "Hi Derek," she whispers as she stops in front of him. "My name's Diana and I don't know if you remember me, but I used to be friends with your sister." 

        Derek takes her in and knows that something about her was familiar but he couldn't place what it was. 

        "I don't remember meeting a lot of Laura's friends," Derek responds. 

        Diana didn't have the heart to correct him on the fact that the sister she was actually refering to was in fact his younger sister, not his older one. 

        "That's no problem," she tells him. "I know this is going to sound strange especially as it's coming from a stranger, but... we need you to come with us." 

        "Why would I go anywhere with you?" Derek asks her.

        "There was an accident," Scott speaks up. "You lost some memory, but we can help you get it back."

        "How much memory?" Derek asks as he focused back on Diana. For some reason, he couldn't stop looking back at her. Something about her told him that she could be trusted even though he had just met her. 

        "A lot," Diana answers as her hand ran through her hair. "But you can trust us." 

        Derek watches her hair move aside and takes notice of the mate mark on her neck.

        "You're mated," he points out causing Diana to instantly place her hand over it. "Are you a..."

        Derek doesn't have to finish his question when Diana reveals the amber glow of her eyes. Scott takes that as his cue to reveal his too and Derek straightens up in his seat at the sight of his red eyes.

        "You're an Alpha," Derek states before turning to Stiles. "Okay, who are you?"

        "Oh me," Stiles mutters in slight annoyance. "I'm the guy keeping you out of jail."

        Diana shakes her head at Stiles' attitude but they all had their own way of dealing with the current situation. She reacted in fear, while Scott reacted calmly, and Stiles... well Stiles reacted with pure unfiltered sarcasm.

        "Let us help you," Diana offers the young Derek as she crouched down in front of him.

        "No," Derek answers with a shake of his head.

        "Okay, dude, you almost tore apart two cops back there," Stiles explains. "You need to listen to us and that starts with no fangs, no claws, no wolf man. You got that?"

        "I'm fine as long as it's not on a full moon," Derek responds.

        Diana and Scott share a concerned look at the matter of this small detail.

        "You still have trouble with the full moon?" Scott asks him.

        "I said I'm fine," Derek responds defensively.

        Scott backs off on that but Stiles could see his dad struggling for an explanation to his own deputies and knew that their time was running out.

        "All right, you coming with us or not?" Stiles asks him upfront.

        "You want me to trust you?" Derek asks them. "Then where's my family?"

        The three of them share a look before Scott takes the initiative to tell him. 

        "There was a fire," Scott sighs out watching Derek's face fall at his words. His heart tightens in his chest and Diana glances away from the conversation awaiting for the rest. "And... They're not here anymore. They're fine. Just had to move out of Beacon Hills."

        Stiles hides his confusion while Diana tunes back into the conversation surprised at the route that Scott decided to take.

        "We're going to take you to them as soon as we figure out how to get your memories back," Scott tells Derek.

        Young Derek lets out a relieved breath at hearing the explanation from the Alpha. He had anticipated bad news by the sight of his burned home and the lack of appearance from any of his family.

        "Okay," he tells them. "I'll come with you." 

        From there on, things started to run smoothly as the Sheriff took it upon himself to help Derek with his release forms. While Derek was occupied, Scott, Stiles, and Diana were huddled at the exit trying to figure out their next step.

        "I shouldn't have done that," Scott breathes out nervously. "I lied my ass off."

        "Hey, your ass is fine," Stiles assures him. "You saved him a ton of unnecessary pain. We'll figure this out in a day or two, he goes back to being old Derek, everyone's happy. Except for Derek, who's never happy."

        "He's happy with me," Diana comments quietly as she stared at the young Derek. "We were happy the last time we saw each other. I thought we would have a few more days before something came along to ruin it, but I didn't even get a few hours..."

        Diana lets out a sigh and turns back to Scott and Stiles.

        "And I just lied to him again," she whispers. " _We_ lied to him and..."

        "I know," Scott tells her recognizing her guilt as his own too. "I always feel like it's always been better when we tell the truth. With Lydia, my mom, Stiles' dad."

        "Yeah, but that is Derek Hale in there," Stiles points out to them. "He may be a kid right now, but he's still Derek Hale."

        "Alright," Scott sighs out knowing Stiles had a fair point. "Take him to my house and don't let him out of your sight."

        "Where are you going?" Diana asks him. 

        "I'm going to go talk to the guy we should have gone to before," Scott answers as he starts to walk out. 

        "Peter?" Diana asks in disbelief. "Seriously, you're going to him?"

        "Uh... Yeah, I hate that guy," Stiles groans out in response.

        Scott just shrugs as he exits and Diana knows she should stay and help Stiles with young unknowing Derek, but her instincts were telling her to run again and she felt keen to answer to it. 

        "I'll come with you!" she shouts as she runs after him.

        "Come on!" Stiles shouts as he received the short end of the stick. "Seriously?" 

******

Diana's POV,  _Derek and Diana's Loft_

        Scott and I dismount from my bike and take off our helmets as we reached the loft. We both start to make our way inside when we find Malia standing by the garage entrance with a bored expression on her face. 

        "What are you doing here?" Scott asks as the sight of her.

        "I heard you were coming to talk to Peter," she tells him. "And since Lydia tells me he's basically Satan in a V-neck, I figured you shouldn't be alone."

        Scott glances over at me before turning to the young coyote, "We can handle Peter."

        "You can handle him better with me," Malia states before leading the way upstairs. 

        Scott seems hesitant to follow but eventually does so. I wanted to ask what had him so uneasy but I had a feeling it had to do with the new addition to the pack. 

        "Is there a reason Peter's in my loft?" I ask randomly as we reach the final staircase. 

        "That's where he texted me he'll be," Scott answers with a shrug. 

        I scowl at the response and step ahead of Malia as I move towards the front door and slide it open. We all make our way inside and try to find Peter in the midst of the loft's darkness.

        "What's wrong with you?" Malia asks Scott.

        "Nothing."

        "Your heart's pounding like crazy," Malia points out. "Are you nervous?"

        I clear my throat at the question and knew that whatever Scott was hiding, he was hiding it poorly. 

        "He's just bad at introductions," Peter states from his seat on the couch.

        I glare at the elder Hale who seems so at peace with his book and body laid out on the couch. Peter simply smirks at me and I shake my head at him. 

        "You look comfortable," I comment. "Any reason why you're in my home?" 

        "I was house-sitting," Peter responds with a shrug. "I like what you've done with the place. Makes it more homely." 

        I shake my head at him and restrain myself from starting an argument with him. He wasn't worth my time, not at the moment anyway.

        "Peter... This is Malia," Scott introduces as he notices Peter's stare towards the new member.

        Peter drops the book on the coffee table and slowly stands up. He moves across the room silently as he stood in front of the young coyote with a calculative gaze. 

        "Beautiful eyes," he comments. "Did you get them from your father?"

        The simple question causes Scott's heart to race once more and I knew that whatever he was afraid of had to do with Peter and Malia. 

        "My mother," Malia answers.

        "Interesting," Peter whispers before snapping his attention to Scott. "Anyway, I'm sure they've told you a lot about me."

        "The homicidal killing spree came up," Malia states.

        "Well, we're all works in progress," Peter remarks at the allegations.

        "Well, when you progress to your next killing spree, why don't you try and make sure they all stay dead?" Malia exclaims. 

        "What is that supposed to mean?" Peter asks as he turns to Scott and me.

        "What do you know about people being turned by a scratch?" Scott asks him.

        "Did you scratch someone, Scott?" Peter asks in mock concern. "Don't worry about it, the claws have to go pretty deep."

        "But it's possible," I remind him. "Like if you clawed out someone's throat?"

        Peter thinks over the question and finds himself nodding, "Well, yeah, it's possible. It's also beyond rare. We're talking one in a..."

        The connection is made and Peter's amusement quickly disappears as a scowl settles on his face.

        "...million." 

******

Third POV, _McCall Residence_

        Stiles didn't know why he ended up as the Hale babysitter. Out of all of them, he was the least qualified to handle the situation but since Diana ditched him on the last minute, Stiles had no choice but to drag young uncontrollable Derek to Scott's house and occupy him there. 

        "We're going to wait here for Scott," Stiles explains as he uses his spare key and opens the door. "We're going to sit quietly. We're not going to call or talk to anyone."

        "Do I talk to you?" Derek asks easily sensing the hostility from Stiles.

        "No," Stiles exclaims

        "Fine," Derek comments. 

        "Good," Stiles responds.

        "Who's going to talk to him?" Derek asks as he points to the man in the kitchen.         

        Stiles reels back at the sight of Agent McCall holding Chinese take-out in the kitchen. He had not expected him to actually be there and Scott failed to mention this was a possibility.

        "Ah! Are you getting taller?" Stiles exclaims. 

        "What are you guys doing here?" Agent McCall asks them.

        "We're waiting for Scott," Derek answers gaining a glare from Stiles.

        "Yeah, so am I," Agent McCall states as he set the bag down on the table. "We're supposed to have dinner. I brought extra. You guys hungry?"

        "Yeah."

        "No."

        Derek and Stiles share a look before Stiles answers for both of them.

        "We're not hungry."

        "No, I'm starving," Derek remarks.

        "Neither of us are hungry," Stiles states hoping Derek would take the cue. "Thanks, though."

        Agent McCall was used to Stiles' strangeness and the obvious dislike he had for him, but it wasn't enough to deter him from feeding the other kid in his home.

        "Okay, well if you're not hungry, Stiles, your friend can still eat with us," Agent McCall tells them as he motions for Derek to take a seat. "What's your name?"

        Before Derek could respond, Stiles answers for him, "Miguel... My cousin Miguel... From Mexico." 

        Derek looks at Stiles with a confused expression but knew that his rambling was most likely payback for accepting Agent McCall's dinner invitation. 

        "Es usted un natural de Mexico, Miguel?" Agent McCall asks him. 

        "Oh my God," Stiles mumbles at he tried to make sense of what was just said and how he was supposed to answer that.

        "No soy un nativo," Derek answers smoothly. "Si no que pase un montón de tiempo ahi." 

        Stiles stared at Derek in shock in which he offered him a mocking grin.

        "Fantastic," Agent McCall comments before motioning for him to take a seat on the table. "Egg roll?"

        "Hell, yeah," Derek answers as he moves to take a plate.

        Stiles laughs nervously as he watches them interact. He was certainly not qualified to prevent any of this from happening. There was only so much that human-Stiles could do at the moment and it did not involve monitoring this dinner that was sure to end in some form of disaster. 

******

Diana's POV,  _Derek and Diana's Loft_

        Peter slams the table in front of him and lets out an annoyed growl at the realization we had all come to in the past few days. It was technically his fault that we found ourselves in this mess. 

        "Can't someone in this town stay dead?" Peter exclaims.

        "I think they were hoping you would," Malia states causing me to let out a chuckle.

        Peter lets out a heavy sigh and Scott steps towards him. 

        "Do you have any idea why Kate would turn Derek into a teenager again?"

        "What color were his eyes?" Peter asks us.

        "Blue," I answer.

        "After Paige," Peter comments as he finally turns around to face us. "Which could mean around the time he first met Kate and well you too... DiDi."

        I roll my eyes at the outdated nickname. 

        "DiDi?" Malia asks beside me. "That was your name." 

        "It was a stupid nickname my brother used to hide my real name," I grit out in annoyance. "I hoped everyone would have forgotten by now." 

        "Wait, hold on," Scott exclaims as he replayed what Peter said. "Derek and Kate knew each other?"

        "Biblically," Peter tells him. "That's right, Scott. You weren't the first wolf to climb into a hunter's bed."

        Scott glances over at me searching for confirmation and I simply offer him a stiff nod. 

        "I rejected his advances one too many times," I explain to Scott. "He searched for companionship elsewhere and well... he found it with Kate."

        "Companionship?" Peter chuckles out. "That's what you call it?" 

        "Please focus here," I growl out at him. "I knew Derek in passing before he started avoiding me when he started dating Kate. You two were best friends back then so please help us understand why Kate would pull something like this."

        Peter lets out a sigh and actually seems to buckle down and focus. 

        "Okay, Derek went to the site of the house thinking it was still there, right?" Peter asks us.

        "Yeah," Scott answers. "But he doesn't remember the fire."

        "But if he doesn't remember the fire, then he doesn't remember that it was Kate that set it," Peter states.

        "So what does that mean?" Malia asks.

        "Kate didn't just take him back to being a teenager," Peter answers. "She took him back to the age where he still knew her... when he still trusted her." 

******

Third POV,  _McCall Residence_

        The cartons of Chinese food were all emptied out by the three of them. Stiles picked at his food angrily with his chopsticks hoping this dinner would soon come to an end and Scott and Diana would show up to save him from this mess. 

        "So, uh, Miguel," Agent McCall calls out trying to find out more about Scott's new friend. "What did you say your last name was again?"

        "Oh, it's Juarez... Cinqua... Tiago," Stiles mumbles.

        Derek offers him an incredulous look before returning to his plate. Agent McCall knew that something was going on between the two kids and he was really trying to stay out of it but Stiles was making that really hard.

        "That's a mouthful," he comments. "How do you spell that?"

        Derek looks alarmed at the question and turns to Stiles hoping he'll answer that too. Stiles picks at his food in annoyance once again and makes up another excuse, "Phonetically."

        Agent McCall hums at the answer and lets the subject go. They all return their focus to their plates, but Derek can't help but notice the FBI badge laying nearby.

        "Mr. McCall, you're an FBI agent?" Derek asks.

        "He's low level," Stiles answers hoping to steer the conversation away from he was expecting it to go. "Very low level. He doesn't even have a voice."

        "Do you investigate murders?" Derek asks ignoring the glares Stiles was sending him.

        "Sometimes," Agent McCall answers. "When it's a Federal crime."

        "What about fires?"

        "Oh my God, I wonder where Scott is," Stiles nervously coughs out. "Shouldn't Scott be here by now? We should call Scott... like right now..."

        Agent McCall ignores Stiles' rambling as he focused on the inquisitive Miguel across the table.

        "What kind of fires are you talking about?" he asks him.

        Stiles nervously laughs at this but there was no point in stopping an already rolling stone. 

        "Do you know anything about the Hale family?" 

        It didn't take long into the conversation for Derek to hear the real truth that happened to his family and home. Derek went ahead and excused himself and Stiles from dinner as he processed everything he just learned. Stiles leads him into Scott's room and it wasn't much of a surprise when Derek used the opportunity alone to slam his face against Scott's bedroom door. 

        "Okay, I didn't lie," Stiles states. "I omitted certain truths... Vital truths, now that I think about it." 

        Derek releases him in an angry huff. 

        "I don't want to talk to you," he exclaims. "I want to talk to the Alpha. I want to talk to Diana. I'll talk to them." 

        "Ok," Stiles gives in. "I'll go get them." 

        Stiles pulls at the door knob and watches Derek as he stumbles out of the door. 

        "My phone's downstairs," Stiles explains to him. "Going to call them real quick." 

        Hoping to avoid his face being slammed into the wall, Stiles runs down the hallway and makes his way downstairs. Scott's dad was busy cleaning up the kitchen to notice Stiles slip in and out for his phone. He instantly dials Scott's number and waits a few seconds before he answers. 

        Scott instantly relays what he's learned from Peter and warns Stiles to keep an eye out for Kate who was bound to come after him. 

        "No, he's in your bedroom, he'll be totally fine," Stiles assures Scott as he made his way upstairs and down the hall. "To be honest, I'm starting to miss the old Derek. So, if you actually think that Kate's coming to find him..."

        Scott's bedroom is empty and a grinning Kate is climbing out of the window before disappearing from his sight.

        "...You might be right."

******

Diana's POV,  _Derek and Diana's Loft_

        Stiles' call had left us all alarmed knowing that young naive Derek had fallen into Kate's clutches. Peter, Malia, and I were ready to leave the loft to get him back but Scott remains behind as he thought things over.

        "Wait," he calls out to us.

        "For what?" I ask him feeling the guilt growing inside me. I had left Derek at the hand's of Stiles when he should have been on my own. "Kate's out there twisting her way into Derek's head yet again. We need to find her."

        "All we need's a scent," Malia states in agreement.

        "That could take hours," Scott reminds us. "If we want to get ahead of her, we need to figure out where she's going."

        "Not to underestimate my own cognitive faculties, but we're not exactly a brain trust of geniuses here," Peter claims.

        "You really shouldn't be offending me right now," I grit out. "I am ready to rip someone apart over this and you seem like the perfect candidate at the moment." 

        "Fine, if you claim to be so smart, why don't you tell us what's Kate planning?" Peter decides to ask me.

        "I'm not a psychic!" I exclaim. "How would I know?"

        "No, but maybe we should call one," Scott offers as he pulls out his phone.

        "Scott," I sigh out. "Since when do you now a psychic?"        

        "Not a psychic," Scott states. "But a banshee." 

        I didn't like the sound of that at all as Scott awaited for her to pick up the phone. Lydia quickly answers the call with a relieved sigh. It seemed like the whispers of death had lured her once again and had let her to gas station's bathroom what was about to become a crime scene.

        " _We called Stilinsk_ i," Lydia tells us. " _They're on their way._ "

        "What does it look like?" Scott asks as he places the call on speaker. "Can you send pictures?"

        " _Uh, okay,_ " Lydia shakily responds. " _To be honest, I have a 4.0 in AP Biology and there are parts of the human anatomy I have never seen before on these walls."_

Scott's phone vibrates with the incoming message and he quickly opens the sent photo. Blood and a dismembered body was depicted in the small frame-shot and it all looked like a mess.

        "Why would she want to kill a gas station attendant?" Malia asks.

        "I don't think she could help it," Peter responds. "This was done in a frenzy. It's not a murder. It's a symptom."

        "Of what?" Scott asks him.

        "She can't control the shift."

        "How's that possible?" I ask. "She's had a year to learn control." 

        "We all can't be perfect like you, DiDi," Peter mocks. "Some have it harder than others." 

        "Derek said he had the same issue of control on the full moon," Scott states as he recalled their earlier conversation. "That he was still learning."

        "So Kate's still learning?" Malia attempts to clarify.

        "She wants to learn," Peter states.

        "So she wants Derek to teach her?" she asks.

        "No," Peter tells her. "She wants the Triskelion."

******

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills HS_

        Peter had led them to the school claiming there was a hidden vault under the main school sign. Diana was ready to rip Kate's head of knowing that the burning sensation occurring in her neck was due to her overall presence. She didn't care if Kate found the Triskelion or not as long as Kate didn't do anything to Derek. They were all sprinting across the school campus in hopes of detaining Kate when Malia slowed down to a stop.

        "Did you catch a scent?" Scott asks her.

        "It's the same one," Malia whispers. "The same one as Mexico."

        Diana stops and takes in a deep breath herself before she recognizes the scent of decay.

        "What is she talking about?" Peter asks.

        "One of them came after us in the Church ruins," Diana answers.

        "And one on the road," Malia adds.

        "They couldn't have followed us here," Diana states in concern.

        "But they could've been brought, by Kate," Scott offers up. 

        A growl echoes through the lot and Peter lets out a sigh.

        "Oh, I've heard that sound before," Peter mutters unhappily. "Did it have an animal skull? A human wearing a skull over its face?"

        Diana and Scott shrug knowing that they had heard and smelled the creature, but never actually saw it. Peter's descriptor was enough to make Diana take a step back though.

        "I think so," Malia replies.

        "What are they?" Scott asks him.

        The growling reappears and much closer than before. The winter wind picks up the scattered leaves and brings in a stronger scent of death along with it. Bones rattle against each other as the creature walked into their view.

        " _Berserkers."_

Malia instantly lets out a growl and takes a step forward but Peter pulls her back. 

        "Are you crazy?" he asks her.

        "There's just one of them," Malia points out.

        "And that means we have a chance," Peter responds.

        "To beat him?"

        " _To survive,"_ Peter clarifies before grabbing Diana's wrist and pulling her into a sprint upstairs. Diana grits at the tight hold Peter has on her but knew that he was right to run. She didn't bring her shotgun this time and bersekers weren't creatures one fought in hand-to-hand combat. 

        Diana turns back to see Scott and Malia sprinting away too until they disappeared from her sight when Peter turned a sharp corner causing her to crash into the wall. 

        "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she exclaims.

        "Keeping you alive," Peter states as he slows down into a jog. "I need you on my side when we face Kate."

        "Because she's going to kill you?" she asks in slight amusement.

        "No, because she's going to be threatened by you," Peter remarks as they reached the open vault door. A long staircase led down and Diana motioned for him to go through first. 

        "Ladies, first," Peter states. 

        Diana lets out a growl in response and Peter quickly changes his mind. 

        "Alright, I'll go in first." 

        Peter descends down the stairs with Diana following close behind him. She could hear Kate and Derek's conversation and let out a relieved sigh at hearing him alive. 

        "This is it?" Kate asks as she looked over the Triskelion pendant. "You're sure?"

        "Yeah," Derek answers.

        "It doesn't look like much," Kate states as she looked the pendant over.

        "That's because it isn't," Peter remarks as he takes the last few steps and enters the vault. "Quite the elaborate scheme you have here, Kate. Two countries, Aztec temples, Derek returned to a teenager. One that trusted you. One that loved you... Well, love is such a relative term when in fact his heart yearned for another around that time." 

        Derek narrows his eyes in confusion while Kate's scowl returned. 

        "DiDi, sweetheart," Peter calls out to her. "Why don't you step down now?" 

        No longer hesitating, Diana made her way down the last few steps and entered the vault. Derek finally realized why he held such trust to the random she-wolf he had met earlier. It all clicked into place why she seemed so familiar. 

        "You look older," Derek comments. "And you're a werewolf." 

        "I know and I know nothing makes sense now," Diana tells him. "But I need you to trust me when I say you should step away from her."  

        "Derek, stay," Kate orders as she held the Triskelion close to her chest.

        "Derek," Diana calls out once more. "You know that mate mark you recognized earlier on my neck?"

        Derek nods at this and Diana offers him a small smile as she nods towards his shoulder.

        "You'll find a matching mate mark on your shoulder." 

        Derek is too scared to look not remembering this at all. He glances at Kate who seems nervous at the comment while Diana continues to offer him a warm comforting smile. Derek doesn't have to check his shoulder to know that it's true. It was evident enough that he was missing a lot of context in the moment, but if he had to chose Diana or Kate, he'll chose Diana and so he did by taking a step away from Kate and towards Diana's side. 

        "All this complication just to gain access to our vault," Peter chuckles out. "Just to get your hands on that little piece of junk."

        Kate glares at the amused Peter and Diana regrets not having taken her time to retrieve her shotgun.

        "Turn it over," Peter taunts. "Go ahead. There's a scrape on the back where it used to say _Made in China_."

        "You're lying," Kate growls out.

        "I admit I have a tendency to exaggerate things," Peter remarks. "But in this case the truth is so much more fun."

        Kate glances down at the Triskelion in disappointment. 

        "Oh, I'm sorry, sweetheart, that little pendant is just a physical object to focus on," Peter goes on. "It's training wheels. Talia used it to teach Laura. I tried to use it to teach Derek."

        A loud menacing roar echoes near them and Diana grows nervous at the sound of distant fighting. 

        " Is this real?" Kate exclaims as she takes a threatening step toward Derek. "Tell me if this is real."

        Diana is quick to place him behind her, but Derek wasn't paying half a mind to Kate's question.

        "Didn't you hear that?" he asks. "That was Scott. I just heard Scott..."

        "Tell me!"

        "Back off!" Diana growls more than ready to confront Kate. 

        "I don't know," Derek responds too occupied by the Alpha's roar to care. "And I don't care!"

        Derek starts to run out of the vault finding some innate need to come to the Alpha's call. Diana's focus shifts completely to him and she doesn't hesitate to follow after him. 

        Now only a grinning Peter and a pissed off Kate remained in the vault. They circled around each other anticipating a violent strike to initiate it all. 

        "Derek gave up on it back when he learned another way to control the shift," Peter explains to her. "When I taught him, I taught him to use emotion. To use _anger_. And to focus on it. To feel every ounce of rage and hatred that he could summon. It was the anger that taught him control. So you want to learn to control it?"

        Peter cracks his neck and extends his claws.

        "You want to get angry, Kate?" Peter shouts. "Let's get angry!"

        Kate instantly shifts out her claws and fangs and lets out a growl of her own, but before blood could be shed, another shadow comes into the mix. Metal canisters clink on their way down the stairs and Kate's eyes widen in alarm when she recognized their purpose. It was too late to find cover as the cans exploded in harsh rays of light and smoke that immobilized the two were-creatures in the vault. 

******

Diana's POV,  _Beacon Hills HS_

        Derek outruns me for the first time ever and I blamed it on his idiotic pursuit of jumping into a fight with no context whatsoever. The two bersekers were cornering Scott, Malia, and a recently defeated Kira. Derek and I came up from behind them and managed to gain a small advantage as we attacked them off guard. 

        It didn't matter that Derek's memory was gone and he had no prior knowledge of my fighting pattern because he managed to pair his attacks with my own. When I ducked, he jumped and when I sent a high kick, he would throw a punch. We were a storm of limbs and claws that kept the bersekers distracted as they tried to pick one of us and attack. 

        Their advantage only works for so long as one of the bersekers manage to throw Derek against the lockers. He quickly recovers, but it's too late for me as one of their sharp long claws stabs deep into my thigh. 

        "Ahh!" I shout as I drop to the ground. 

        "Diana!" Derek shouts in concern which earns him a backhand on his face. 

        I look up at him in fear and take notice of the way his face shifts momentarily to the elder Derek. Scott and Malia quickly pull me out of the bersker's way as I continued to press a hand down on the excessively bleeding wound on my leg. Maybe it's the current blood loss that was making me see things or maybe Derek was actually coming back. 

        Derek keeps both berseker occupied and away from us as he fights them on his own. The fight doesn't last much longer as a loud screeching seems to call them away. 

        I take a deep breath and tried to ignore the sent of iron that filled the air as blood continued to spill through my fingers. The scent was hard to ignore until I caught wind of something familiar and warm.

         _The smell of pine trees and cinnamon._

My eyes slowly glance before me at the person standing right across from us. Scott slowly stands up and pulls me up alongside him.         

        "Derek?" I call out nervously as he remained standing in the shadows of the hallway. 

        He hears my voice and starts to turn his head at us. I'm relieved as I catch his five o'clock shadow that sharpened his jaw perfectly, but my relief is short lived when I looked into his eyes. 

        They were glowing and they were not the piercing cold blue.

        They were amber. 

******

Third POV,  _The Vault_

        Peter had tried in vain to stop them. He had tried so hard to force his eyes to see through the continuing flashes and thick smoke to catch the perpetrator. He had tried and failed. 

        Now, Peter kneeled in front of the open safe and tried to make sense of what was in front of him. The empty safe had once contained a case filled with... Peter didn't want to think about it, but his mind came back to it every time. His fingers trembled as they touched the empty lining of the safe. 

        "It was never..." he mutters to himself. "...Never about the Triskelion."

        Stiles and Lydia walk down the stairs, late to Kate's scheme, but aware that something was still wrong at the sight of a defeated Peter. 

        "They took it, they took it while I was blinded," Peter mumbles.

        "Took what?" Lydia asks as she motions for Stiles to stop and give Peter his space. 

        "Bonds," Peter answers as he forces himself to stand. "Bearer bonds and they took them all."

        "Bearer bonds?" Stiles asks in amusement. "Hold on... Are you saying you got robbed?"

        "This was a heist," Peter grits out as he turned to them. "Somebody planned this."

        "How much did they take?" Lydia asks noticing Peter's unraveling state.

        "117..." 

        "Thousand?" Stiles clarifies.

        Peter lets out a heavy sigh already plotting murder. 

        " _Million._ "


	9. Muted

Diana's POV,  _The Loft_

        Derek took the coffee mugs from my hand and walked off without a glancing back. If he had, he would have noticed my scowl of annoyance as I was left at the desk watching him drop the cups into the sink before returning back to my side. Derek offered me a smile while I continued to give him a glare.

        "You know my leg healed a long time ago, right?" I remind him. "I can walk and run and do things without you coming along and doing them for me." 

        "The berserker hit an artery," Derek reminds me. "I just want you to take it easy." 

        I grab his hand and place it on the healed skin. 

        "You feel that?" I ask him. "There's nothing there because it  _healed._ " 

        Derek simply presses a kiss on my forehead and removes his hand from my thigh. 

        "Shouldn't you be at work?" he asks me as he picks up a book from a nearby stack and heads towards the couch.

        "Cross Country season is over," I answer as I follow after him. "So I'm going to be hanging around here more often." 

        Derek processes my answer as he takes a seat and slowly sets his book aside before catching me off guard and pulling me onto his lap. I let out a yelp of surprise which causes him to grin into my neck. 

        "Does that mean I get to have you all day?" Derek asks before pressing a kiss on my neck. 

        I let out a chuckle and nod.

        "It means, I get to intervene on your infinite reading list and workout sessions so I can do this," I whisper dangerously close to his lips taunting him with a promise of a kiss. Instead, I press my lips onto his jaw and slowly make my way down to his neck. Derek shivers as I move close to the sensitive mate mark on his shoulder before a loud knocking interrupts me from ever reaching that point. 

        Out of nowhere, Peter quickly descends the spiral staircase and heads towards the door. 

        "Carry on, kids," Peter calls out to us. "Don't mind me."

        I quickly pull myself off Derek's lap and tried to make sense of what just happened.

        "How long has he been here?" I ask Derek.         

        "I honestly don't know," he answers in annoyance. 

        I let out a sigh and watch as Peter goes ahead and slides the door open revealing an unexpected guest. Braeden strides through the door with her shotgun swung over her shoulder. She takes in the loft with disinterest before her eyes land on me and a grin grows on her lips. 

        "Diana," she greets. 

        "Braeden," I responds in the same manner causing Derek to tense slightly. "What are you doing here?" 

        "I called her," Peter states as he dragged a chair for her to sit on. "With Derek's permission, of course." 

        "You knew about this?" I ask Derek. 

        "I thought you'll be at work while I dealt with this," Derek sighs out.

        Braeden seems amused at our interaction and I knew she was hoping to taunt Derek further in his mistake to confide in me. I decide to let the matter go seeing as I was here to witness it.

        Braeden takes her time to make herself comfortable as she sets her shotgun down beside her and drapes her jacket over the chair before taking a seat. Peter takes the seat across from her and glares at her as she sets her feet up on the table. 

        "That table's Italian," he comments.

        "So are these boots," Braeden responds causing me to chuckle. "Are we going to talk interior designing fashion or are we going to talk numbers?"

        Peter lets out a sigh as he picks up a scrap of paper and writes down a reasonable number. He slides the paper to Braeden who looks it over and quickly crosses it out before writing her own reasonable price. Peter takes up the paper and glares at it.

        "We're hiring you to find Kate, not assassinate the President."

        "I was recently hired by the Calaveras to find Kate," Braeden states her eyes flittering to me briefly. "You're hiring me to find her first. Going against the Calaveras is what's going to cost you."

        Peter writes another price on the sheet of paper and slides it back to her. Braeden doesn't even bother to look down as she slides the paper back to him refusing his new price. Peter scoffs dramatically and steps away from the couch. Derek quickly reaches over and rips the paper in pieces. 

        "We'll pay," Derek speaks up beside me. "Just find Kate, that's all we want." 

        Braeden smiles at the deal given and starts to take her leave. She swings her jacket and shotgun back on, but before she could take a step outside I call out her name and make my way to her. 

        "Araya hired you personally?" I ask still in disbelief at the notion.

        "You failed to do as she's asked so she asked me to step up in your place," Braeden responds. 

        "Wait," Derek states behind me. "You never told me about your grandmother setting you up to face Kate." 

        I let out a sigh as I slowly turned to face him. 

        "I left that detail out for the same reason you didn't tell me about your own pursuit for Kate." 

        Derek glares down at me for my response but he knew I was right. 

        "I didn't mean to start a fight between you two," Braeden states in amusement. 

        "Oh you definitely did," I remark as I glance back at her. "You just enjoy poking a sleeping bear. You did it when you first met me and you did it back in Mexico when you helped me save Derek." 

        Braeden offers an unapologetic shrug before walking out of the door to allow the chaos to continue on it's own. I quickly slide the door closed with a little too much strength that was intended. 

        "Are you insane?" I ask him once Braeden was gone. 

        "I was about to ask him the same thing," Peter pipes up.

        "You stay out of this!" I shout at him before facing Derek gain. "Why would you call Braeden to find Kate?" 

        "Peter and I didn't have much of a choice," Derek responds. "We spent a week looking for her and came up with nothing."

        "You've been looking for a _week?"_

        "And like he said, we came up with nothing," Peter remarks. 

        "Stay out of this!" I shout once more. 

        "No can do, sweetheart," Peter responds. "I am personally involved in this. If we don't find out, who told Kate about the vault, we don't get those bonds back! What do you think I'm gonna do then, huh? Get a job? My resume is slightly out of date."

        I scoff at this, but knew he had a point. There was something else in play here and Kate was conveniently involved at the right time. I glance over at Derek and find him staring down at the metal table. I wondered if he was listening at all.

        "We got robbed, Derek," Peter exclaims as he approached his nephew and grabbed him on the shoulder. "Robbed!"

        Derek snaps at the contact and turns around to grab Peter's wrist and force it away from him. A growl echoes through the loft and his eyes reflect amber once more. 

        This was the first time he's let his eyes glow since the night he shifted back to normal. I could see now that the change wasn't temporary as I thought, but more of a permanent defect.  

        "Oh, that's a new look for you," Peter taunts seeing them like this for the first time. "What happened to your eyes?"

        "I don't know," Derek answers. "But I'm willing to pay to find out." 

******

Third POV,  _Lacrosse Field_

        Scott and Stiles carried their gear through the lot as they headed towards the field for this season's tryouts. Scott was nervous about this morning practice and had confided in Stiles.

        "Of course you're still the team captain," Stiles assures Scott as they discussed their new season. "You got your grades up just like Coach told you to, right?"

        "Yeah, but he never told me I was back on the team," Scott tells him. "He just told me to show up at tryouts today."

        "We got bigger things to deal with anyway," Stiles comments. "Did you tell Argent yet?"

        "Ah... I texted him but he didn't get back to me," Scott responds.

        "You told him his sister Kate came back from the dead over a text?" Stiles asks in disbelief. 

        "I didn't have the money to call France," Scott sighs out.

        "Yeah, you think you got money problems?" Stiles sarcastically asks. "Try paying for an MRI and a visit to Eichen House."

        "Another notice?" Scott asks him in concern.

        "Yeah, this one said, " _Final,_ " Stiles explains. "Now, what the hell are we even doing here anyway? We got like a 117 million problems and worrying about our status on the lacrosse team is not one of them."

        Scott wants to agree until he watches the freshmen warm up on the field and one in particular stands out. Every shot taken in the goal is caught with a graceful ease.

        "It is now," Scott states as he nods toward the field. 

        Stiles watches the threat on the field and turns back to Scott in shock.

        "Who the hell is that?"

        The young freshman pulls of the goalie mask and smiles at his friends who cheer him on. Scott narrows his hearing towards them and catches the short conversation they share.

        " _Nice, Liam. You might just be our first ever freshman captain._ "

        Scott becomes alarmed at the sound of that.

        "Okay, maybe we should just practice a little bit."

  
_BH Hospital_

        Dr. Geyer steps out of the elevator with an overworked Melissa by his side. Melissa was attempting to ease his transition to their hospital as she explained to him and tried to help him with the many problems this hospital had gone through and was still going through this whole year. 

        "The nursing staff's already spread too thin," Melissa explains to him as she aided the budget issue.

        "I know there's never a good place to make cuts, but this hospital has seen a bizarre amount of damage and the insurance isn't going to cover it," Dr. Geyer states. "We have to cut back."

        "Maybe I can pull some money from pediatrics..." Melissa sighs out.

        "Your shift is over," Dr. Geyer points out. "I'm exhausted just looking at you. Please go home and get some sleep."

        "Okay," Melissa sighs out. "I need to get some dinner first."

        "Melissa... It's 7:00am."

        She can't help but chuckle at that not having realized how time had slipped by without her knowing. Melissa never does get the chance to head out as the doors of the ER slam open by a bleeding teenager. His hands are covered in blood and he collapses onto the hospital floor. 

        Dr. Geyer and Melissa are quick to call for a gurney and start to aid the shocked boy. Sheriff Stilinski is called and Dr. Geyer takes charge in his case. 

        Melissa doesn't have the heart to go home and waits for the Sheriff to make an appearance. It doesn't take long for him to show up and he's glad to see Melissa there. Conversation is short and to the point as the Sheriff explains the situation on their way to the morgue.        

        The Sheriff pulls out one of the body bags in the morgue and motions Melissa to unzip it and have a look herself. The bag reveals a heavily scarred victim.

        "Now I know why he hasn't spoken a word to the psychologist yet," Melissa comments at the sight of the body.

        "He's going to be in shock for a while, isn't he?" the Sheriff asks her.

        "This was his whole family?" she asks in concern.

        "Mother, father, older brother," the Sheriff lists off. "Sean was the youngest and the only one that got away. The question is from what?"

        "From who?" Melissa corrects him as she inspected the wounds further. "These wounds weren't caused by claws and fangs. These are deep cuts, a combination of sharp and blunt force trauma."

        "That's what the ME said," the Sheriff states. "Some kind of axe. I just need to make sure that we didn't have to, uh..."

        "Involve the boys?" Melissa offers.

        "Yeah," the Sheriff sighs out. "If this is everyday homicide instead of the supernatural kind, then maybe we can give them the day off from the world of murder and massacres."

        Melissa smiles at this and knew what he was referring to. Even though this instance didn't involve the influence of the supernatural, it did involve a human one and those they couldn't escape if they tried.

        "When do we get a day off?"

******

Diana's POV,  _The Loft_

        Peter finally left the loft to Derek and I as it should have been so long ago. I would have been deeply contemplating the idea of changing the locks and upgrading the alarm but the aspect of Derek's current state fully occupied my mind. I watch him descend down the stairs and ignore my presence on the couch. 

        "I know why we keep things away from each other," I state as I watch him shift through his stack of archaic books in undecipherable languages. "I'm not trying to make up an excuse, especially for myself, but I understand why we keep doing this to ourselves."

        Derek stops but has yet to acknowledge me at all.

        "We don't trust easy and I can't blame us because of everything we went through. It's just who we are," I whisper. "I mean we're trying here. At least I am..." 

        "I'm trying as well," Derek responds. "I just didn't want you to worry." 

        I let out a sigh as I stand up from my seat and make my way towards him. 

        "I wasn't worried," I tell him. "But you not wanting me to worry actually worries me." 

        Derek takes a deep breath and I simply wrap my arms around his waist and press a kiss on his shoulder. 

        "This is the part where you tell me I shouldn't be worried." 

        "I don't want to lie to you," Derek answers. 

        My arms slip away from his waist and Derek is quick to turn around to pull me back to him. 

        "We will figure this out, ok?" he assures me. "I will fix this." 

        I let my head rest on his chest and listen to the way his heart beats strongly into his chest. 

        "You hired the best," I comment. "So you took a step in the right direction." 

        "Anything else you have to add?" Derek asks with slight amusement.

        "No, I just..." I whisper with hesitation. "I hate the part where Kate is involved."

        Derek remains silent and I knew it had to do with him not having anything to say to calm my settling nerves. I let out a sigh and look up at him. 

        "Kate's not a woman you get answers out of," I warn Derek. "But if you happen to get what you need, then... then you let me handle her." 

        "Handle her?" Derek asks as he narrows his eyes down at me.

        "Sounds better than saying kill." 

******

Third POV,  _BH Locker Room_

        Early morning practice was over and from what they saw throughout it, Scott and Stiles were not entirely convinced that this new freshman wasn't entirely human. The school bell was about to ring and everyone was rushing around to head to class. Scott and Stiles cornered a packing Liam as they tried to make sense of what happened out on the field. 

        "Hey, Liam," Stiles greets in an attempt of being casual. "You want to explain what that was out there?"

        "What do you mean?" Liam responds confused. 

        "That little display," Stiles states. "Your little circus act."

        "What circus act?" Liam asks.

        "You caught every shot," Stiles explains.

        "I was in goal," Liam reiterates.

        "Yeah, but nothing, not a single shot got past you," Stiles mumbles as he tried to make sense of it.

        "Yeah, I was the goalie," Liam reminds him as he glanced at the two juniors. "You guys played this game before?"

        "You're a freshman, right?" Scott asks him.

        "Yeah," Liam answers.

        "But you weren't here last semester," Scott comments.

        "I transferred from Devenford Prep," Liam explains.

        "You transferred?" Scott asks as his hearing catches a skip in his heartbeat.

        "Yeah," he lies.

        "No, you got kicked out, didn't you?" Scott asks.

        Liam's gaze nervously flickers between Scott and Stiles at the question.

        "Alright, look!" Liam exclaims. "Kicked out or transferred, what do you guys care? I came here to play lacrosse. The team could use a few good players, right?"

        "No," Stiles quickly responds. "No, we don't need any more good players."

        "Actually, we could sort of use a couple," Scott states as he thought back to it. 

        Stiles glares at him for giving in so easily.

        "Okay, how'd you get this good?" Stiles asks Liam. "Have you always been this good? Or did it suddenly happen just once over night? Have you ever been out in the middle of the woods during the night of a full..."

        "Stiles," Scott interrupts him.

        "Look, I learned from my stepfather, all right?" Liam exclaims tired at all of the questions. "He made team captain when he was a sophomore."

        Liam looks up at Scott, "Like you."

        Scott feels bad for having cornered him and assuming he was a werewolf like him. Liam turns back to Stiles who is still eyeing him in suspicion.

        "And yeah... I guess I'm just that good."

        Liam pulls up his backpack and walks out of the locker room without another word.         

        "He wasn't lying that time," Scott points out causing Stiles to groan in defeat.

******

        They were half-way through the school day when Stiles catches up to Kira and Scott in the hallways. His phone had notified him about the axe murderer and it was enough for Stiles to think that something was up. Stiles tells both of them of the news blast which shocks Kira.

        "An axe murderer?"

        "A family murdering axe murderer," Stiles emphasizes.

        "I already heard about it," Scott comments.

        "Wait," Stiles backtracks a bit betrayed by the detail. "What? You did? How?"

        "My mom called me," Scott shrugs. "She knew we'd see it on the news."

        "Perfect," Stiles comments. "Let's go."

        "Whoa, whoa," Scott states. "We've got Econ in five minutes."

        "Alright," Stiles responds. "Did you forget the part about the family murdering axe murderer?"

        "Did you forget that your dad's the Sheriff?" Scott reminds him. "They want us to stay out of it."

        "Are you guys kidding me?" Stiles complains. "There's a family murdering axe murderer and we're not going to do anything about it?"

        "Maybe we should just let the adults handle it," Kira states after hearing their whole conversation.

        "So two of you, you just want to stay here, school, go to class," Stiles asks as he tries to make sense of their calmness. "Never heard anything so irresponsible in my life."

        Scott shakes his head at his best friend, "See you at tryouts?"

        Stiles mumbles a yes as he storms away from them. Scott lets out a chuckle as he unlocks his locker and pulls out the needed textbooks. 

        "Hey, so that thing you wanted to talk about..." Scott says as he looked back at Kira.

        "Yeah," Kira responds excitedly before the bell rings.

        "Yeah," Scott hesitates knowing he couldn't be late for Econ. "Can we talk later? After tryouts? Do you mind waiting? It won't be that long."

        "Um... I..." Kira hesitates before agreeing. "Sure."

        "Great," Scott states as he quickly placed a kiss on her lips. "See you then."

        Kira remained stunned in the hallway while Scott jogged to class. It wasn't until the exact moment where he took a seat on his desk that he realized what he done.

        "Oh, God."

  
_BH Police Station_

        The Sheriff stormed out of his office with a determined Deputy Parrish following after him. Parrish had wanted to take another look at the house, but Sheriff Stilinski didn't need the media watching them run around in useless circles. 

        "I said I don't want anyone else on site," Sheriff tells him. "Review the photos and don't blame me for the nightmares."

        "But Sheriff, don't you feel like we're missing something?" Parrish asks.

        "Yeah," Sheriff sighs out. "And that's why Agent McCall is bringing in an expert from Quantico who deals with exactly this kind of thing."

        "You mean the US Marshal?" Parrish sighs out.

        "What US Marshal?" Sheriff Stilinski asks confused. 

        On cue, a voice cuts through the station and the Sheriff and Deputy Parrish turn to it. 

        "I called about the case file," Braeden states at the policeman on the front desk with her Marshal badge held up in her hand.

******

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills HS_

        The locker room was loud with the first day of lacrosse season jitters. Stiles leaned against his locker and listened to Scott's current dilemma that had nothing to do with the ax murderer or the 117 million dollar question. 

        "It was the first kiss since our actual first kiss," Scott tried to explain.

        "That's good," Stiles comments not exactly seeing the problem. "You kissed her."

        "I did... but I didn't."

        "Was... Was it on the lips?" Stiles asks.

        "Yeah," Scot answered as he pulled his guards on.

        "Was there tongue?" Stiles asks him still missing the problem.

        "No, I..." Scott sighs. "It was like how you kiss your grandmother when you're five."

        "Oh, chaste," Stiles states. "You gave her a chaste kiss."

        "Yeah, and now it's... It's all weird," Scott rambles. "It's all completely weird and I... I don't know what to do. Maybe I should text her."

        "No," Stiles instantly exclaims. "Just no with the texts."

        Their conversation is put on hold as Coach Finstock steps into the locker room blowing his whistle. 

        "As a reminder, it's an open tryout today," Coach states. "All positions available. This is a rebuilding season, people. Jackson's gone, Lahey's gone... Greenberg, the one guy I actually wanted gone... was held back. _Again_. Get your asses on the field!"

        Coach turns away ready to enter his office, but Scott quickly grabs his remaining gear and follows after him.

        "Hey, Coach..." Scott calls out causing Finstock to turn to him. "I just wanted to ask if... I was still... If I'm... You know..."

        "You're on the team, McCall," Coach tells him.

        "But... But am I... Everything that I was on the team before?" Scott asks him.

        "All positions are open," Coach repeats leaving a defeated Scott behind. 

        Scott lets out a sigh and shakes his head before heading out to the field. Stiles watches his friend walk off with his head hung low and doesn't miss the small smile on the too good to be true freshman. Stiles knows to keep an eye out for him. There just wasn't something right with this kid. 

  
_ BH Lacrosse Field _

        Shots were being taken at goal and drills being done on the other half of the field. Coach Finstock watched all of the players play their best on the field which wasn't something he was entirely impressed by. Warm-ups weren't his favorite thing but it had to be done. Laps were about to be over and Coach couldn't help the sinking feel in his gut. 

        "Terrible... Horrifying... Pathetic... Unbelievably pathetic..." Coach comments as the boys ran by him. "Is that everyone?"

        A gasping Stiles makes it through the finish line and just drops to the ground.

        "Yep, that's everyone."

        Scott walks over to his friend and helps him up. 

        "I got you," Scott states as Stiles continued to breathe for his life.

        "Who came in first?"

        Scott nods towards Liam and Stiles can't help but glare at the freshman. 

        "He isn't human," Stiles states out of nowhere. "What is he? Like a Were-Cheetah? Does it even exist? Is that a thing?"

        "I think he's just good," Scott comments.

        "I'm gonna puke, take me somewhere," Stiles pants.

        Scott nods at this and pulls his friend off the field before turning away and letting Stiles be... well Stiles.

        The next drill was set up and Stiles eagerly placed himself first in line. Greenburg was set up in goal and Stiles struggled to pick up the ball with his stick. The team chuckled behind him and Stiles soon gave up and placed the ball in the net himself. He took a couple of deep breaths before he took his shot which evidently made its way directly into the goalie's net. 

        The team laughed once more and Stiles grumbles as he makes his way to the back of the line. Scott offers him a sympathetic pat on the back and watches as Liam steps up next. 

        "You know, maybe he's only good in goal," Stiles comments. "You know, just totally useless on the rest of the field."

        They both wait and watch as Liam's shot shoots exactly like a bullet and makes it way past the goalie and into the net. 

        "Yes!" Coach exclaims excitedly. 

        "Maybe he's just perfect at everything," Stiles grumbles in annoyance. "I hate this kid!"

        "You don't have to hate him," Scott tells him. "The team needs new players.:

        "What about a new team captain?" Stiles offers up. 

        Scott doesn't like the sound of that and is more motivated than before to make the shot. He easily picks the ball up onto his stick and tightens his grip. Scott takes his shot and the ball is sent strong and fast only for it to hit the rim of the goal and bounce out. 

        "Nice, McCall," Garrett, another freshman, comments with a snicker. 

        "Hey, Garrett... Shut up!" Stiles exclaims.

        Shot, after shot is taken and Liam seems to succeed where Stiles and Scott were failing in. Kira and Malia were watching from the stands and cringed at each missed shot. 

        "Dude, what is going on with you?" Stiles exclaims.

        "I don't know," Scott mumbles. "I'm having a really off day."

        "Off day?" Stiles repeats. "You were dying out there! I feel actual physical pain watching you."

        "I didn't see you make any shots," Scott points out.         

        "Yes, that is because I'm terrible, though, Scott," Stiles responds. "You... You are the Alpha."

        "Not on the field," Scott answers. "I'm a human on the field."

        "Well, human you is kind of sucking at the moment," Stiles remarks. "So do you think there is any way you can use just like a little tiny bit of wolf power?"

        "It's cheating," Scott states.

        "I know it is!" Stiles exclaims. "It's just I hate seeing this little freshman come in and steal all your glory after you worked your tushie off. I hate it."

        Another goal is made by Liam and that seems to finally set Scott off. 

        "He's not going to steal all the glory," Scott states as his eyes glowed red.

        The whistle is blown again and everyone jogs out of the field to meet up with Coach.

        "McCall and Stilinski, grab the long sticks," Coach states. "You're covering goal for two-on-ones. Let's go! Line it up!"

        Scott and Stiles grab the sticks and pull on their helmets and shoulder pads.

        "We still don't know if he's a werewolf, too," Stiles reminds Scott. "And if he is, he'd just be cheating. And we'd just be cheating the cheater."

        "But he's not," Scott tells him. "I'd know. I'd be able to catch a scent or something."

        "Maybe you need to get closer," Stiles points out. 

        Scott looks up at the line formed in front of him and takes notice of Liam being one of the first few. 

        "I think I'm about to get my chance."

        The whistle is blown and Garrett is quick to snatch the ball from the ground and sprint towards a defensive Scott and Stiles. He tries to trick them with a back-turn but Scott leaps into the air and hits his stick with his own essentially making Garrett drop the ball. 

        "That's my boys!" Coach exclaims in glee with a clap. "Those two are like sons to me."

        "Yes!" Kira cheers from the stands as she leaned against an extra lacrosse stick.

        Another player goes next and while Stiles missed him on a tackle, Scott doesn't and the opponent's body crashes onto the ground.

        "That's how you do it!" Coach exclaims from the sidelines. "That's how it's done!"

        The next player is the one they were both waiting for. Liam steps up next and takes a deep breath before the whistle is blows. He's quick to pick up the ball and sprints down the field. Stiles misses him on the first tackle and Scott leaps towards Liam only for him to evade him with a quick turn. Liam's completely free for the shot and easily makes it in.

        Everyone on the team cheers and an attentive Malia quickly becomes enraged by the sight of her Alpha and Stiles being left in the dust.

        "That was luck!" she exclaims from the benches.

        "Oh no, Malia," Stiles mutters under his breath. "Don't get involved."

        "Do-over!" Malia shouts.

        "Sweetheart, there's no do-overs," Coach explains to her. "This is a practice."

        Malia doesn't allow that to deter her, "Ten bucks on Scott and Stiles."

        "I'll take that action," Coach remarks easily changing his mind. "Hey! Get back in there, Liam."

        Liam steps back at the front of the line and stretches once more. Scott and Stiles share a concerned look but new that this was their chance to beat this freshman once and for all. 

        The whistle is blown and Liam sprints down the field. Stiles misses him on the first tackle again, but Scott was close behind him and doesn't miss the chance to tackle him low. Liam flies over Scott's back and lands with a snap on the ground. 

        Everyone could practically feel the pain he was feeling and Coach Finstock quickly jogs down to the fallen boy. Liam groans as he rips off his helmet. Scott and Stiles are quickly by his side but Coach quickly shouts for them to step away. 

        "Don't move! Don't touch him!"

        "I'm okay, Coach," Liam tells him as he tried to get up. "I'm all right. Ahhh!"

        Scott and Stiles quickly catch him before he falls.

        "I think it's my leg," Liam mumbles.

        "Where in the hell is Diana?" Coach exclaims.

        "She's a coach now, Coach," Scott reminds him. "She's not our P.T. anymore."

        "Well, someone tell her I want her back!" Coach exclaims.

        "Will do, Coach," Stiles tells him. "But I think we better get him to the nurse now."

        Coach nods at this and allows Scott and Stiles to carry Liam off the field. He doesn't even turn to the remainder of the team knowing he just got one of his best players benched before the season could even start. 

        "You guy's take a lap," he orders. "Run around... Start running around the field!"

        Coach picks up a stray ball from the ground and throws it out of rage.

        "Stupid!"

        The ball flies in the air and is heading directly towards Malia before Kira catches it with the lacrosse stick in her hand. 

        "Oh! Wow! Nice catch," Coach comments before an idea pops into his head. "Throw it back."

        Kira does as she's told and throws the ball back which ends up hitting Coach directly into his chest and knocking the air out of him. 

        "Oh, my God," Kira mutters as Coach drops to his knees.

        "Someone..." Coach wheezes out. "Someone ask her if she's ever played lacrosse."

*******

Diana's POV,  _The Loft_

        Derek leaned against the desk and read over the contents of the file. Only the sound of papers turning echo around the loft and Braeden is quickly growing bored at the silent wait. I stop myself from saying anything as I awaited for Derek to finish reading the Beacon Hills police file to know what this was all about.

        "There's nothing in here about Kate," Derek states as he closed the folder and tossed it on the table. "This killer used an axe."

        "Actually, he used a military tomahawk," Braeden corrects him soliciting an annoyed huff from Derek.

        "That's not in this report," Derek tells her.

        "I know," Braeden shrugs.

        "Are you going to tell me what else you know?" Derek asks her. 

        "Not yet," Braeden answers as her eyes flittered to me. "Cause I don't really know much." 

        "But you know something," Derek narrows down.

        "Maybe," Braeden states. "The problem is the people I need to talk to right now, don't talk to people like you."

        "You want me to wait for you?" Derek asks and from the scowl on his face he was displeased by that simple fact. 

        "I want you to trust me," Braeden responds.

        "I trust Diana," Derek states as he nodded towards me. "I trust her when she says you're the best at what you do."

        "But you don't trust me," Braeden concludes.

        "Why should I?" Derek responds with. "I don't know anything about you and the little I do know... well, it doesn't exactly make me a fan."

        Braeden can't help but chuckle at the sound of this. She liked to play games and it didn't help that I taught her how to win those exact games she played. 

        "Yeah, well, I know you," Braeden states. "And I know what you really want."

        Braeden takes up the discarded police file and pockets it again.

        "You want what Kate stole from you," Braeden tells him. " _Briseann an dúchas trí shúile an chait."_

"Ancient Gaelic," I state for the first time since Braeden came back. "What does it mean?"

        "It means the true nature of someone is reflected in their eyes," Braeden answers catching us off guard. "In your case, the color of your eyes."

        "How did you know?" I ask a bit concerned.

        Only a handful of us knew about Derek's situation and only Peter and I knew that it was a permanent change. Braeden just smiles at the question and shrugs.

        "I'm just that good," Braeden states with a wink at my direction.

        Derek now knew that what I had said to him was indeed true and if he had any shot of getting back what he wanted then Braeden was the only way to go.

        "You get a week." 

******

Third POV, _Walcott Residence_

        Deputy Parrish sat in his squad car outside the Walcott Residence. He wasn't allowed to go inside but it didn't mean he could not take guard right outside of it. Parrish sat and reviewed the pictures from the crime scene trying to find the missing piece to this whole puzzle. He let out a sigh and glanced over at the sealed off residence when a shadow passes by the glass door. 

        Parrish is quick to pull out his gun and steps out of the car. He silently makes his way towards the house and checks around for the intruder. 

        "Beacon County Sheriff's Department!" Parrish shouts. "This is a crime scene. Show yourself!"

        Lydia tentatively appears into his line of sight with the same shocked expression that Parrish had on his face. 

        "Don't shoot," she begs. "I just... I would try to explain it, but... I've never gotten a satisfactory explanation myself."

        "Just an unusual habit of showing up at places where people have been brutally murdered?" Parrish asks as he sets his gun back into the holster. 

        "Are you saying I have a reputation?" Lydia asks in slight amusement. 

        "An unusual one," Parrish comments as he followed her through the house. "Maybe you're psychic."

        "Don't tell me you believe all that?" Lydia chuckles out. 

        "I'd like to say I don't believe in anything," Parrish tells her. "But I keep an open mind."

        Lydia stops beside a bare wall and waits.

        "If you're looking for dead bodies, I think you're a little late," Parrish states.

        Lydia isn't too sure of that as she continued to stare at the wall in front of her. The whispers of death wrapped around her head and made her aware that there was something else they weren't seeing. 

        The walls were screaming at her and Lydia finally got the message. Her hands press against the wall and it clicks before a panel opens and reveals an entryway.

        Parrish pulls the gun out of his holster and starts to make his way inside. It led him down a dark hallway and he brings out his flashlight beside his gun. Lydia follows closely after him and shivers at the freezing air that the hidden room emitted. 

        The hallway leads towards a sealed room and Parrish steps in with Lydia right after him. He flicks the lights on and pockets his flashlight. The room was filled with black bags hung on meat hooks. 

        "I think it's a game locker," Parrish tells Lydia. "Like venison. Hunting's legal in some parts of the state, but..."

        "What is it?"

        Parrish reaches up to the zipper on the bag and brings it down. 

        "It's not venison," he states as the body bag revealed a _human_ body. 

  
_BH Hospital_

        Melissa took Sean's pulse and noticed it's slight speed. She glances over the filled hospital meal tray and looks down at the silent boy in front of her. 

        "Are you sure you don't want to eat something?" she asks him.

        "Yes," Sean answers with a nervous swallow.

        "Okay," Melissa responds as she let the boy go. Sean immediately tucks himself under the gray sheet and turns his back on her. Melissa didn't take it to heart knowing that the boy had gone through a traumatic event. "Let me know if you need anything. There's a Deputy standing right outside."

        Sean doesn't respond and Melissa lets out a sigh as she stepped out of his room. Melissa offers a small smile to the deputy on guard and makes her way to the front desk. She just turned to corner when she found Scott and Stiles holding up an injured boy 

        "Uh... Hi, Mom," Scott stammers out at the sight of her.

        Melissa let out another sigh and motioned for the nurse on desk to bring a wheelchair over. Liam took a seat on it and Melissa inspected the swollen ankle.

        "Don't worry, Liam," Melissa assures him. "We'll take good care of you."

        Melissa wheels the boy into a spare room and Scott and Stiles watch him go. 

        "I got to get going," Stiles tells Scott after Liam disappears around the corner. "I promised Malia I'd help her study."

        "Sure," Scott nods. "I want to check on him anyway."

        Stiles starts to leave before he turns back to Scott, "Hey, I don't need to say that wasn't your fault, right?"

        "I don't know," Scott shrugs with uncertainty.

        "Scott, if you had used any wolf power that kid wouldn't be limping, he'd be crawling, back to the other half of his body," Stiles states.

        "If I hadn't been so worried about being captain he wouldn't be hurt either," Scott reminds him.

        "It's okay to want something for yourself once in a while," Stiles tells him. "Team captain, Alpha werewolf. You're still only human."

        Scott lets out a sigh at this but knew that Stiles was evidently right. He was a lot of things and it was nice to know that being human was still one of them. 

******

        Dr. Geyer inspected the swollen ankle himself and let out a sigh. Liam looked up at him expectantly but the scowl on his face was evident enough that there was no good news involved. 

        "Okay, just..." 

        "It's broken, isn't it?" Liam asks him.

        "It's definitely going to need an X-ray," Dr. Geyer tells him.

        "It's broken," Liam sighs out. "And it's my fault."

        "You want to tell me what happened?" Dr. Geyer asks as he pulled a chair next to the bed. 

        "I went up against two juniors," Liam explains. "One of them is captain of the team."

        "Remember what we always say?" Dr. Geyer asks. "Play smart, not hard."

        Liam avoids looking at him as he felt guilty over the whole situation.

        "Are you mad at me?" he whispers. 

        "No, of course not," his stepfather responds. "Your mom might be mad at me for getting you into lacrosse, but maybe we should both wait for the X-ray before we panic. And trust me... I have more reason to panic than you."

        Dr. Geyer lets out a half-hearted chuckle and stands up from his seat. 

        "It's not over yet," he reminds Liam with a pat on his back. "Wait for that X-ray."

        Dr. Geyer steps out of the room and Liam lets out a sigh. Scott quickly steps back from the leaving doctor and feels guiltier than before for overhearing their private conversation. He hesitates in entering the room and paces the hallway for a second before his phone begins to vibrate in his pocket. 

        "Hey, Lydia," Scott answers. 

        " _Where are you?_ _"_ Lydia immediately asks him. " _I couldn't call... I couldn't get away from the deputy._ " 

        "Okay, slow down..." Scott advises her unsure of where her panic was coming from. 

        " _You need to get to the hospital,_ " Lydia states. " _You need to get there right now. The son, the only one who survived... He's there._ _"_

        "So am I," Scott tells her. "I'm at the hospital too."

        " _Then find him_." Lydia repeats. "Find Sean Walcott."

******

        Melissa walks back to Sean's room and notices the lack of a deputy on guard. The lights of the room were turned off and she assumed Sean had finally gotten some sleep. She wished she could let the boy rest but Sheriff Stilinski was about to arrive and take his statement. 

        "Sean, are you awake?" Melissa asks as she opened the door a crack. "The Sheriff's on his way, I'm going to need you to wake up."

        She flips the lights on and immediately takes notice of the empty bed. Melissa takes a step deeper into the room and notices the blood trail that led behind the bed. The deputy's side was cut open and Sean was holding what was left of the intestine in his hand. 

        "I couldn't help it," Sean pants as he looks up at Melissa." I'm so hungry. I'm just so hungry!"

        Melissa takes in the white glowing eyes and the rows of teeth in his mouth. She slowly takes a step back but Sean knows that he can't let her get too far. 

        "I think I'm ready to talk now," he states as he stands up from his crouch.

        Melissa has to get out of there and she quickly turns away and tries to run out of the room. Sean quickly tackles her to the ground bu Melissa kicks and screams in his hold.

        "No!" she shouts as she tried to crawl out into the hallway. "Leave me alone! No!"

        A loud roar from the end of the hallway causes Sean to let Melissa go. Melissa scrambles out into the other side of the hallway and watches as a wolfed out Scott tackles Sean out of the way. They wrestle amongst each other for a few minutes before Sean kicks Scott away and sprints away.

        Once Sean's out of sight, Scott turns to his mom is leaning against the wall as she shakily stood up. 

        "I'm okay," Melissa assures him. "I'm all right."

        "Are you sure?" Scott asks her. 

        Melissa nods once more and motions for him to go ahead, "Go get that son of a bitch." 

        Scott doesn't need to be told twice as he sprints down the hallway and follows Sean's scent. He makes his way towards the stairwell when he finally hears something heading to the roof. Scott leaps over the staircases and makes his way up. He bursts into the roof only to find Sean holding Liam hostage over the end of the roof.

        "Get back!" Sean shouts at the Alpha.

        "Don't," Scott yells to him. "You don't need to do this. Whatever it is. Whatever you are, we can help you."

        "No, you can't," Sean cries out.

        "Let me help you," Scott pleads.

        "Wendigos don't need help," Sean tells him. "We need food!"

        Sean moves to bite Liam but doesn't receive the chance with the fast approaching Alpha. Instead, Sean throws Liam over the edge of the roof and awaits the attack from the werewolf. Scott throws Sean against the metal generator before quickly looking over the edge and grasping a hold of Liam's hand.

        Sean recovers from the attack and quickly tries to pull Scott from the ledge. One of his arms is pulled back and Liam struggles to keep his hold on the roof. Scott's remaining arm is helping him but that is soon taken away by the young wendigo. Liam's fingers are beginning to slip and his right hand looses it's grip. Scott struggles against the wendigo and watches as Liam struggles to remain his one handed grip.

        "I can't hold on!" Liam cries out. 

        Scott watches as Liam's hand slip out and an instinctive thought runs through his mind. Immediately, Scott's head surges forward and bites into Liam's wrist.         

        The roof is filled with Liam's pain but it is soon overcome by the sound of metal hitting flesh. Sean Walcott's body drops dead to the ground and Scott immediately uses his free arms to help Liam back onto the roof. Scott looks up in time to see the intruder remove the military tomahawk off Sean's body. 

        The attacker with no mouth motions for Scott's silence before disappearing from the roof. Scott wanted to go after him but he had a bigger crisis in his hands as Liam's pained shouts filled the roof once more. The bite bleed prominently on his wrist and Scott realized how much trouble he was in.


	10. The Benefactor

Diana's POV,  _BH Hospital_

        The police swarmed the entirety of the hospital and with the ongoing sirens that would go off every few seconds wasn't helping my mood at all. A chopper lit the nearby forest area in search of the muted murderer who managed to escape without a trace. I take a deep breath in hopes of attaining some kind of scent from the scene but all I could pinpoint was the natural smell of pine trees that came from a retreating Derek.

        I let out a sigh and ignored the officers that filtered in and out of the hospital. With Derek's track record with the Beacon Hills police department it was safer for him to sneak up to the roof without being seen. Me, on the other hand, could walk inside the police-filled hospital and take the stairs to the roof.

        I tune my hearing in on the approaching scene and can clearly hear Sheriff Stilinski's voice as he instructed everyone around him. 

        "Hey, let's get everyone off the roof," the Sheriff exclaims to an awaiting Deputy Parrish. "And see if you can stall the ME for five minutes. I've got an expert of my own coming to take a look."

        "You have an expert on teenage cannibals?" Parrish asks skeptically. 

        "Five minutes, Parrish," Sheriff reiterates with no further explanation. 

        The door to the roof swings open and I step aside for the leaving forensic team and a surprised Deputy Parrish. 

        "You're the expert the Sheriff called in?" he asks as he keeps the door open for me.

        "Wouldn't use that precise word," I answer with a feign shrug as I walk past him. "But I'm usually the one to be asked to assist whenever things take a turn for the weird." 

        "So family of cannibals with their own meat locker is considered weird enough for you?" Parrish asks in which I nod. "What exactly makes you an expert on the _weird_?" 

        I let out a sigh and turn back to him. 

        "The answer would shock you," I state with a wink before turning and walking away from him. 

        Derek seems unimpressed with my conversation with the young deputy and Sheriff Stilinski seems caught off guard by my normal entrance. 

        "Uh, I guess both of you been there long enough to hear we need to be quick about this," Sheriff explains. "Scott said he called himself a wendigo."

        "Cannibalistic shape-shifters," I explain as I crouch beside the boys body and inspect the rows of teeth that his mouth revealed.

        "I haven't heard of them in Beacon Hills for a long time," Derek comments.

        "They must have been well-hidden," I state as I stepped away from the body. "Parrish informed me that they had their own fridge supply. They knew to hide and they knew to hide pretty well if none of us noticed." 

        "How many people did Scott say were up here?" Derek asks as he inspects the whole roof. 

        "Just Sean and the axe-murderer who apparently has no mouth," Sheriff tells us. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

        Derek and I shake our heads and I watch as Derek's scowl deepens in thought.

        "There was someone else," Derek points out. "Someone young... and male."

        I tried to catch a scent of what Derek was talking about but all of my senses zeroed in on him again and I soon gave up.

        "You can smell his fear?" Sheriff asks him. 

        Derek nods at this but stares down at the remnant traces on the roof, "And his blood."

        ******

Third POV, _McCall Residence_

        Stiles' fist was slamming against the oak door with an immense intensity. He had received a very vague 911 from Scott and the news of Sean's death was all over the news and police radio. It was finally here. Something to drag them back out to the mess that was Beacon Hills and Stiles was impatiently waiting for Scott to come open the damn door. 

        Scott finally opens the door and Stiles let out a sigh of relief. He immediately makes his way in as Scott leads him up the stairs.

        "I told my dad everything I could."

        "But you didn't tell him about Liam?" Scott asks him. 

        "You barely told me about Liam," Stiles exclaims. "What did you do with him anyway?"

        "He's upstairs," Scott vaguely answers.

        "Doing what?" Stiles asks him. 

        "Lying down," Scott tells him as they reach his room. Scott points into his bathroom and Stiles scowls as he steps in and pulls the shower curtain away. A muffled, tied up-Liam is struggling inside the bathtub and Stiles doesn't know how to process the scene in front of him. He slowly pulls the shower curtain back and retreats into Scott's bedroom.

        "...So you bit him," Stiles begins as he took a seat on the bed. 

        "Yeah," Scott answers as he sat next to Stiles. 

        "And you kidnapped him," Stiles states.

        "Yeah." 

        "And brought him here," Stiles concludes trying to emphasize the situation to Scott.

        "I panicked!" Scott exclaims knowing he had messed up badly.

        "Yup," Stiles sighs out as he turns back to Liam. "This isn't going to end with us burying the pieces of his body out in the desert, is it?"

        Liam begins to cry at the sound of that but the duct tape around his mouth muffled the sound. 

        "As a reminder, this is why I always come up with the plans," Stiles states. "Your plans suck." 

        "I know," Scott sighs out. "Which is why I called you. So, what do we do?"

        Stiles thinks it over for a second before coming up with an impromptu plan. They pull Liam out of the tub and sit him down in a chair in the middle of Scott's room. 

        "Liam, we're going to take the tape off your mouth," Stiles tells him. "If you scream, it goes right back on. If you talk quietly, it stays off. Got it?"

        Liam glances at both Scott and Stiles before nodding. 

        "Okay," Stiles states with a nod before reaching out for the strip and quickly pulling it off. 

        Liam exhales loudly in pain but manages to keep his voice down. 

        "Okay, Liam, now you've seen a lot of confusing things tonight, Stiles states. "And more confusing things are going to happen because of the confusing things that happened tonight. Do you understand?"

        Liam glares at the junior in front of him, "Not really."

        "Good," Stiles shrugs. "That's good."

        "I don't understand either," Scott pipes in as he tried to make sense of Stiles small speech.

        "Maybe you should tell him," Stiles offers up.

        "Tell me what?" Liam asks. 

        "Liam..." Scott sighs out unsure of how to approach the sensitive matter. "What happened to you, what I did to you, which I had to do in order to save you, it's going to change you."

        "Unless it kills you," Stiles comments causing Liam to look up in fear. "Shouldn't have said that."

        "What?" Liam whispers as his eyes watered up with unshed tears.

        "Uh... Uh-oh. Oh-oh," Stiles stammers out. "Is he... Is he crying?"

        "Liam, it's okay," Scott assures him as he crouches down in front of him. "You're going to be alright."

        Liam continues to sob and Scott is unsure of what to do to make him feel better. 

        "You're not going to die," Scott tells him.

        "Probably not," Stiles offers up.

        " _Stop it,_ " Scott grits out at Stiles.

        "Okay, possibly... not."

        Scott glares at a useless Stiles, "Would you just help me untie him?"

        Stiles nods at the order and they both work quickly to rip off the duct table that wrapped around the young freshman. 

        "Liam?" Scott asked him once he was released. "Are you okay?"

        "We're sorry about that," Stiles apologizes. "We're really sorry."

        Liam slowly rises from his seat and grasps the wooden chair behind him. In one quick sweep, Liam slams the chair against Scott.

        "Liam, what the hell is your..." Stiles exclaims before Liam socks him in the jaw. "Ah!"

        Liam sprints out into the hallway before slowly coming to a stop. His ankle was no longer swollen and he was walking with ease. He didn't receive much time to reflect on the small miracle when a recovering Scott and Stiles stumble out after him.

        "Get him!" Stiles shouts.

        Scott and Stiles sprint down the hallway and tackle Liam. They crash against the wall before slipping down the staircase in a tangle of legs and arms. A short second passes as they all groan in pain, but Liam quickly forces himself up and climbs over Scott and Stiles. 

        Hands searched to grasp onto the freshman and they both exclaim victory when they grasped a fighting leg. 

        "Leg!" Stiles shouts. "I got him! I got him!"

        Stiles looked up to find a glaring Scott whose own foot was being held hostage. Stiles immediately lets go and they both sit up to find the front door swinging open with no sign of Liam. 

        "Your plan sucked, too," Scott whispers in defeat.

  
_Beacon Hills HS_

        The classroom was slowly filling up with for first period. The first bell rings and Kira drops her things besides Lydia as she takes her seat. She glances over at the paperwork and computer screen and takes notice of the code that is running. 

        "These are your math notes?" Kira asks receiving a nod from a focused Lydia. "No wonder Malia's failing."

        "Um, some of them are my notes," Lydia clarifies. "The rest I think might actually be a code."

        "But you don't remember writing it?" Kira asks.

        "Not in the slightest," Lydia sighs out. "But considering my drawing of a tree led us to the Nemeton, I should probably figure out what it means before it tries to kill us."

        "Maybe it's like the Enigma Code the Allies used," Kira offers up. "Remember my dad was a World War II buff? And my mom was, well... in it."

        "I think it's a variation on something called the Vigènere Cipher," Lydia states.

        "Do you know how to crack it?" 

        " _With a key._ " 

        Lydia lets out a sigh and in that precise moment, her mother, Mrs Martin walks up to her desk and offers her up a pair of keys.

        "Remember the rules," she states. "No more than six people allowed in the lake house. Stay out of the wine. And if anything gets broken, it's getting added to your credit card debt."

        "Fine," Lydia responds as she takes up the key.

        "And lock up the basement," Ms. Martin tells her. "From all the scratch marks I found on the walls, it looked like a pack of wild animals got down there."

        Once Ms. Martin walked away did Lydia and Kira share a look of concern knowing those scratch marks would only increase with the full moon occurring that night. 

*******

Diana's POV,  _The Loft_

        The night was spent inspecting the Walcott residence and trying to find a trace of this mute killer. Nothing else could be found and our night was wasted away with no redeeming clue. Derek and I tiredly make our way up to the loft with every intention of sleeping a few hours until the sight of a bleeding and barely conscious Peter took our immediate focus.

        He laid in a pool of random scattered paperwork while a military tomahawk remained buried in his chest. Derek is quick to pull Peter onto the table and I rip off his shirt to further inspect the chest wound. The black blood was something we recognized too well and so I pull out the axe causing Peter to let out a painful growl. 

        I set the axe down on the table and Derek glances down at it momentarily before walking over to a nearby chest. I pull out the lighter from a drawer and hand it over to Derek once he comes back.

        "The axe was laced with wolfsbane," Derek tells him as he flicks the lighter on. "I don't know the species so I'm going to have to burn it out." 

        Peter glances down at the small flame and looks up at us with disinterest.

        "I think I can handle a little fire," he grits out.

        Derek offers him a fake smile as he uses the lighter to light the blow torch. 

        "Ah, hell," Peter groans out.

        Derek doesn't waste time and sets the flame into the wound. Peter lets out a howling scream as he tried to remain conscious through it all. A few minutes pass by and the smell of burnt, healing flesh fills the room. Peter drops to the ground in exhaustion and lets out a relieved sigh.

        "Serves you right for breaking into our loft time and time again," I comment as I play with the tomahawk on the table. 

        I could feel the glare directed in my direction and I simply offered him a smile. Derek offers Peter a hand to help him up and Peter takes it. 

        "He said he was after you," Peter tells Derek.

        Derek and I share a look of concern and I drop the axe once and for all.

        "How does a guy with no mouth say anything?" Derek asks him. 

        "With this," Peter states as he holds up some kind of band device.

        I take it up and inspect the keyboard that the band held. It wasn't anything that I seen before which was rare in itself. 

        "We're going to have to ask for help on this one." 

******

Third POV,  _Martin Lake House_

        Scott pulled up in his bike and kicked the kickstand in place. He removed his helmet and looked over the present pack who were concerningly waiting for him. Their makeshift plan was rushed, but with the full moon tonight, Scott needed to get Liam in a secluded area and explain his current situation. 

        "I just talked to Kira," Scott assures them. "Kira's on her way. She said it's all going fine."

        "It's not that," Stiles explains to Scott as he pulls him aside. "I have to tell you something. I asked around about Liam. I know why he got kicked out of his last school."

        "This is going to be bad, isn't it?" Scott asks recognizing the look on Stiles' face.

        "He kind of got into it with one of his teachers," Stiles tells him. "And... The kid's got some serious anger issues."

        "How serious?"

        Stiles pulls out his phone and shows Scott a picture from a recent police file.

        "Well, that's his teacher's car," Stiles points out. "After he took a crowbar to it."

        The picture revealed a bashed in car with the words ' _THIS IS YOUR FAULT'_ spray painted on the side. Scott let out a sigh at the picture but knew now the severity of getting Liam there before the full moon rose into the night sky.

        Scott ushered everyone inside and handed Stiles his phone back. They would be here any minute which gave Scott enough time to figure out what to say. His previous attempts had failed which he should have known they would seeing as it hadn't worked on him when Derek had repeated those same words a year ago.

        Time runs out as Scott catches the sound of Kira's car coming up. There's a brief conversation before the door swings open and Kira pulls a reluctant Liam inside.

        "Sorry," Kira apologizes to Liam as she shuts the door behind them and blocks it.

        Liam doesn't understand why she's apologizing until he catches sight of Scott, Stiles, and two other junior girls beside them.

        "What the hell is this?" he exclaims. 

        "Think of it like an intervention," Stiles explains to him. "You have a problem, Liam."

        "And we're the only ones that can help," Scott states.

******

Diana's POV,  _BH Police Department_

        I set the device onto the Sheriff's desk who inspects it briefly. I could tell from the deepening scowl on his face that he was as lost as Derek and I were. He picks it up and tries to decipher the unrecognizable keyboard. 

        "I still don't get how this guy has no mouth," Sheriff Stilinksi states. "How can he eat?" 

        "Peter didn't get a chance to ask," Derek answers sarcastically. "He was fighting him off with a tomahawk buried in his chest."

        I slap Derek's chest and he offers me an exasperated look before turning back to the Sheriff.

        "That's what I don't understand," Sheriff mutters. "Who runs around with a tomahawk?"

        "I carried one for IED removal in Afghanistan."

        We all turn to the doorway and find an awaiting Deputy Parrish. 

        "It's military," Parrish continues as he steps deeper into the office and takes notice of the device. "And so is that."

        "Do you know what it's used for?" I ask him as Sheriff Stilinski offers him the device to further examine it. 

        Deputy Parrish takes a quick look over it and nods.

        "Well, this one looks like it's been modified."

        Sheriff Stilinski looks up at us in question, but the answer was obvious. We needed Parrish to crack this when we couldn't. Sheriff Stilinski closes the door to his office and turns back to Parrish. 

        "Show us."

        Deputy Parrish quickly gets to work as he pulls Sheriff Stilinski's laptop open and connects the device in. We all crowd around him as he got through the firewalls that kept popping up. 

        "Didn't know you were in the army, Parrish?" I ask in order to break the tense silence. 

        Derek glances over at me in question and I ignore it as I await the deputy's answer. 

        "I uh... was a part of the Hazardous Device Team," Parrish explained as he continued to type away. 

        "What does that mean?" 

        "I dealt with explosive devices," Parrish answers. "Disarmed bombs mainly." 

        "That's... impressive," I comment. "And very brave of you." 

        Derek's stare seems to intensify at this and I finally turn to him. 

        "What?" I whisper. 

        Derek glances at the deputy before looking back at me.

        "Can you stop flirting with the police officer?" he whispers back. 

        I couldn't help the chuckle that passed my lips. 

        "I'm not flirting," I tell him. "I'm making small talk. I'm being nice." 

        Derek rolls his eyes at this, "Sure you are." 

        "You and I are together," I remind him as my hand reached for his. "No need to get jealous." 

        Derek seems to ease up at this and I turn back to Parrish who works for a few more minutes before coming to a stop. 

        "Okay, I think I got an IP address." 

        "That means we can find him, right?" Sheriff asks as he glances over the screen. 

        "Definitely," Parrish tells him. "Especially if..."

        The band shifts and whirs on it's own before stilling further movement.

        "What was that?" Derek asks. 

        The computer beeps soon after and Deputy Parrish inspects it.

        "I think I found a message," he tells us. "Does anyone recognize the handle "Benefactor"?"

        Soon after the handle appeared, a message comes after it. 

        "Money transferred," Derek reads over it. "What does that mean?"

        I let out a sigh at this and turned away from the computer screen. 

        "That means this guy is not just a killer," I explain. "He's an assassin." 

        My focus then shifts to Derek and my concern grows as I recalled Peter's warning that Derek was next on his hit list. 

******

Third POV,  _Martin Lake House_

        A brief explanation was told to a stoic Liam who by the sight of it seemed to have been listening to Scott this entire time he's been held captive. 

        "Werewolf?" Liam asks towards Scott who nods.

        "Werecoyote," Liam states next as he turned to Malia.

        "Banshee," he lists off next in which Lydia raises her hand and offered him a smile.

        "Fox?" he concludes turning back to Kira.

        " _Kitsune_ ," Kira corrects with a shrug. "But fox works."

        Liam nods at this and then turns to a silent Stiles, "What are you?"

        "Uh, for a little while, I was possessed by an evil spirit," Stiles offers up. "It was very evil."

        "What are you now?" Liam asks confused.

        "Better," Stiles answers.

        Liam looks down at the coffee table and takes notice of the bag of chains.

        "Are those for me?" he asks. 

        "No, they're for me," Malia answers as she revealed her blue eyes to him causing Liam to instantly take a step back. 

        "How did you do that?"

        "You'll learn," Scott tells him. "But first, you need to get through the full moon."

        "The moon's already out," Liam exclaims feeling his heart beat faster.

        "And you're starting to feel something, aren't you?" Scott asks him. 

        "I feel like I'm surrounded b a bunch of psychotic nutjobs!" Liam shouts. "You guys are out of your freaking minds. I don't know how you did that eye thing and I don't care. I'm walking out the door right now! If any of you try to stop me, I swear to God, I'm gonna..." 

        Liam is unable to control the boiling anger and he starts to scream as his senses become overwhelmed by his current surroundings. 

        "What's wrong?" Scott asks as he steps toward the shifting Beta. "Liam?"

        "You don't hear that?" Liam asks. 

        Scott tunes his hearing but it doesn't take long to catch sight of the incoming lights. 

        "Did you tell someone about this?" Lydia asks alarmed as she hears the incoming crowd. 

        "My friend Mason," Liam groans out as he drops to his knees. "You said it was a party."

        "Who did Mason invite?" Stiles asks as Kira walked up to the window.

        "Everyone," Kira answers in concern. 

        Liam can't control it anymore and his claws clutched the wooden panels. 

        "The floors!" Lydia exclaims. "Get him off the floors!"

        Scott quickly pulls Liam off the ground, "We need to get him to the boathouse. Now!"        

        Kira quickly comes to his aid and starts to help carry Liam out of the house. Stiles moves to help him but Malia is feeling the effects as well and isn't unable to withhold anymore control. 

        "Stiles..."

        "Yeah," Stiles responds quickly taking up the bag of chains and motioning Malia into the basement.

        "What am I supposed to do with the hordes gathering outside the door?" Lydia exclaims. 

        "Lydia, who throws the best parties in Beacon Hills?" Stiles responds. 

        "What? Me, obviously."

        "Okay, then throw a party," Stiles answers before disappearing downstairs.

        Lydia lets out a scoff for being left alone to deal with this, but knew no one else but her would be able to pull this off. With a deep breath, she makes her way to the door and opens it. 

        "Hey... Uh, are we in the right place?" Mason asks unsurely.

        "For the uh... party?" Garret asks. 

        Lydia simply offers the large crowd of freshman a hostess smile. 

        "Absolutely." 

******

Diana's POV,  _Beacon Hills HS_

        Derek and I push the doors of the school open while Sheriff Stilinski followed closely behind with one hand holding his flashlight and the other reaching for his gun. The hallways were empty and they should be at this time on a Friday night. 

        I take a deep breath trying to catch anything but can only zero in on the scent of pine. I pause and take another sniff which end in the same result. 

        "You ok?" Derek asks as he turns to look at me. 

        "Yeah," I whisper as I shook my head out of the results. "You uh... just smell good." 

        Derek's eyes narrow in confusion at me, but I ignore it as I continue after a leading Sheriff. 

        "You know, just because this guy connected to the school's WiFi, doesn't mean he's still here," Derek offers as he catches up to us.

        "True," Sheriff comments. "But I've seen enough in this school to keep my gun in hand when walking in after dark." 

        He stops in front of a doorway and focuses his flashlight onto the floor.

        "Like blood."

        "That doesn't make sense," Derek states with a scowl.

        "Yeah, no kidding," Sheriff responds as he looked around the empty hallway for anything.

        "That's not what I mean," Derek tells him. "I should've caught the scent before we walked in." 

        Derek then turns to me in question, "Diana?" 

        "I... I can only smell you," I admit to him. "It's been happening since last night. My senses seem to zero in on you."

        Derek's scowl deepens at my response. He takes the initiative then to reach for the door handle. Sheriff Stilinski immediately stops him from turning the handle.

        "Hold on," he whispers. "The both of you nervous makes me nervous."

        Sheriff Stilinski flashes his light inside the classroom but finds nothing out of place. He then reaches for the handle and slowly pulls the door open an inch before a tug stops him. 

        I take a glance through the crack and take notice of a device located on the floor hidden closely near the door. 

        "It's an explosive," I tell them. "A claymore... This isn't his M.O."

        Right as I said that, I catch the sound of metal. 

        "Get down!" I shout as I shove the Sheriff down to the floor and Derek ducks. The tomahawk flies through the air and hits the wall above us. Soon after, the Mute leaps down from the staircase and lands on a defensive crouch. His focus remains on Derek and that's when my panic truly settles in.

******

Third POV,  _Martin Lake House_

        Through unexpected events that may or may have not been caused due to Scott and Kira's distracted romantic entanglements, Liam manages to break away from the chains that were holding him restrained and escapes into the forest area around the boathouse.

        Liam had the advantage of being completely wolfed out which meant he had a great head start on a controlled Scott. This doesn't deter Scott at all as he tries to track him down the forest in hopes of catching up and restraining him once more. 

        The scent trail seems to come to an abrupt end and Scott slides into a stop trying to make sense of where Liam could have disappeared to. Scott soon receives an answer as Liam comes out of hiding and tackles him to the ground. 

        They wrestle for a few minutes which was more of Liam attempting to attack and maim Scott. 

        "Liam..." Scott calls out to him. "Liam, wait. Stop."

        Liam lets out a growl as he tried to control whatever was happening to him at the moment. 

        "What did you do to me?"

        "Liam..." Scott sighs out. 

        "This is your fault," Liam growls. "It's all your fault! This is your fault!"        

        The anger grows within the young Beta and he can't help but act upon it. Liam raises his claws with every intention of bringing it down to Scott's face until the sound of an arrow echoes in the air and a flash of light blinds and scares the beta away. 

        Liam lets out a growl of pain before sprinting away again. Scott takes his time to recover and lets out a relieved sigh at the sight of Chris coming down to help him up. 

        "How did you know?" Scott asks him. 

        Chris simply offered him a smile, "I got your text." 

******

Diana's POV,  _Beacon Hills HS_

        I flinch as I watch the Sheriff get thrown against the metal lockers, but my attention quickly shifts back to the assassin who is swinging his axes at Derek. I let out a growl at the sight and once the opportunity presents itself, I shoved Derek away and took on the Mute myself. 

        "What are you doing?!" Derek exclaims. 

        "He's after you," I respond. "Like hell I'm going to let that happen." 

        I swing under his fast attacks that left no time or chance for me to make a hit of my own. Before he could land his next blow, I grab onto his arm and duck under it before using his own momentum to send him hard against the wall. 

        He loses one of his tomahawks but recovers fairly quickly and shoves me against the opposing wall. He throws his remaining axe in my direction but I quickly duck under it. 

        Without his weapons, Derek immediately steps in again and takes him on his own. Derek ducks under his punches and is able to swing in two swift kicks before pinning both his arms to his back. 

        A recovered Sheriff makes a stand and holds his gun at the contained assassin. I let out a sigh of relief and allow myself to slide down the wall and take a seat.  

        "You have the right to remain silent," Sheriff Stilinski pants out. "Anything you say, can and will be used against you in the court of law."

        He pulls out the handcuffs and takes over for Derek as he starts to place them on.

        "You've the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one..."

        A shadow appears at the end of the hallway and I soon recognized it to be Peter. I didn't think much of it until he starts to sprint down the hallway with claws extended. 

        "No, Peter, no!" I shout as I stumble up to my feet. 

        Derek quickly shoves the Sheriff away from the Mute as Peter tackles him onto the ground and slashes down violently. Blood splatters on the floor and the nearby walls while we watched in horror as Peter came to a slow stop.

        Blood dripped down his arms as he held up the strip of synthetic skin and metal mouth guard that once covered the Mute's face.

        Sheriff Stilinski slowly stands on his feet and points his gun at Peter. Peter doesn't seem impressed by the act and simply shakes his head at him. He pulls out a handkerchief from his back pocket and starts to wipe his claws on it before turning to walk away.

        Derek helps me up from the floor and I take notice of the blood splatters that decorated my clothing and face. 

        "We've learned a better way," Derek tells a retreating Peter.

        "I'm a creature of habit," he responds before stepping through the doors. 

        The Sheriff lets out a heavy sigh and reluctantly drops his arm in defeat. 

        "I'm sorry," I whisper unsure of how an apology would help him now or what that apology was for. It surely wasn't for Peter's psychotic attack but the reason soon became clear as Derek appeared in front of me to wipe the blood away from my face. I look up at him and let out a sigh, "I'm sorry." 

*******

Third POV,  _Martin Lake House_

        Chris sets down his crossbow knowing his job was done for the moment. He hadn't expected this much on his first night back in Beacon Hills, but then again it was Beacon Hills and he came back on a full moon of all nights. 

        "There's a clearing just north of here," Chris explains to Scott. "All you have to do is corral him there. The rest is taken care of."

        "What are you going to do?" Scott asks him.

        "He's your Beta, Scott," Chris reminds him. "The better question is what are you going to do?"

        "He won't listen to me," Scott sighs.

        "He will if you start using your own words," Chris tells him.

        Liam's screams pierce the air and Chris knows his trap worked. 

        "Here," he tells Scott as he offered him a small remote. "Go."

        Scott takes the remote and immediately sprints towards Liam's location. He soon arrives a small clearing and finds Liam entrapped inside a circle of sound emitters. Scott switches them off and slowly makes his way towards a kneeled Liam.

        "What's happening to me?" Liam cries out. 

        "The same thing that happened to me," Scott tells him.

        Any sign of the wolf is gone in Liam as he starts to silently sob.

        "They can't know about this," Liam whispers. "My mom, my stepdad, I can't do this to them again."

        "What do you mean _again_?" Scott asks. 

        "I got kicked out of school and I deserved it," Liam confesses. "The way they looked at me when they saw what I did to that car..."

        "Liam, it's okay," Scott assures him.

        "They can't see me like this," he sobs out with a shake of his head. "Like... like..."

        "Like a monster?" Scott asks knowing the feeling too well. "You're not a monster."

        Liam nods and Scott finally realizes that Liam's fears and his own were one in the same.

        "You're a werewolf," Scott tells him letting his red eyes glow. "Like me."

*******

Diana's POV,  _The Loft_

        I wipe the fog away from the bathroom mirror and take a look at my blurred reflection. The Mute's blood had been washed away, but my shower had done nothing for the bag under my eyes. I was exhausted, running on no sleep, and the conclusion of the day didn't help at all. 

        I focus on my eyes and watch as they glow their normal amber. I then close them and focus on my hearing that catches the sound of Derek trekking up the stair. My scent is next and though I should be smelling the fresh scent of apples from my recently washed hair, I don't. Instead, I can still smell pine trees and a hint of cinnamon. 

        The knock on the door startles me and I immediately wrap my robe around me before stepping out. I smile at a waiting Derek and take a seat on the bed as I pull out my lotion from the nightstand. 

        "We should talk," Derek states. 

        "About what?" I ask nonchalantly as I moisturized my legs. 

        "You know what," Derek answers as he kneels in front of me to grab my attention. I let out a sigh and set the lotion bottle aside. 

        "Whatever Kate did to you... it's affecting me too." 

        Derek lets out a sigh at this, "Are you certain of this?" 

        "No, not really," I sigh out. "But every time I try to catch a scent it zeroes in on you and I... I don't know what else it could be." 

        "It's the mate bond," Derek sighs out with a hint of guilt. "I'm loosing my sense of smell and yours... yours is malfunctioning too." 

        "Tell me we're going to be ok," I whisper to him. "Tell me." 

        Derek leans his forehead against mine and presses a kiss on my lips. My eyes close at the gentle touch and I feel him brush my washed hair aside. 

        "We're going to be ok," Derek states. 

        I open my eyes and offer him a tearful smile. 

        "Thanks for telling me," I whisper. "Even if it wasn't true." 

        Derek doesn't know how to respond, but I didn't have much heart left to continue the conversation. I simply pull him into bed even though he was still fully clothed and I was wearing a bathrobe. 

        "I just need you to hold me now," I whisper as I wrap his arms around my waist. "Let's just stay like this for awhile." 

        And so Derek's hold tightens as he pulls me deeper into his chest where I can hear his heart beat lively within his chest. 

******

Third POV, _Martin Lake House_

        With Scott and Liam's disappearance, Kira goes in search for some help inside the house. The party is still going on and Kira slowly makes her way through the crowd. 

        "Lydia?" she calls out. "Has anyone seen Lydia?"

        The music blares in every room she looks in and the drunk freshmen are no help. Kira spots the staircase and soon makes her upstairs. 

        "Lydia?" she asks as she searched in the vacant rooms. The last one is her last hope and she lets out a relieved sigh when she finds Lydia standing in the middle of the room. 

        "Hey," Kira greets before noticing Lydia's distant stare. "Lydia? Are you okay?"

        She soon takes notice of the silent playing record player and realized what truly is going on.

        "What do you hear?"

        "The key," Lydia whispers. "The key to break the code."

        Kira's quick to bring Lydia's laptop upstairs which is still running the code from this morning. Lydia watches as the code writes itself and finally comes to a stop. The key box appears at the end and Lydia take a deep breath before typing in a name. 

         _Allison_

She presses enter and the code instantly shifts by providing a short list of names and a designated number beside it. The list soon comes to a stop and lets out a concluding beep. 

        "What is this?" Kira asks confused as she reads her name amongst the others. 

        "It's a list of supernaturals in Beacon Hills," Lydia answers. "It's a dead pool and we're all on it."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:
> 
> Hey guys! I know I've been doing pretty well in updating this story and not the other works I have still in progress. I want to get this story done because I am motivated to see this through before returning to my other works. I'm about to start classes and had to forego the Friday update because I was moving in back to my dorm this weekend. I'm hoping to keep up with the weekly updates but I never know how much my workload will be so we'll see how this goes. 
> 
> Thanks for reading this last installment of my Derek Hale series! And I hope to hear back from all of you in the comments!


	11. I.E.D.

Third POV,  _BH Police Department_

        The door to his office is closed shut and Sheriff Stilinski makes sure to pull down his shutters to block anyone from peering inside. Scott and Stiles waited for the Sheriff to make his way back to his desk before giving him a run through the current situation that had everyone on edge. 

        "So, the Walcott's were the first," Stiles begins as he places the open case file on the desk. "At least the first that we know about. Four murders. Sean, his brother, and their parents. They were killed by a professional assassin called The Mute. Weapon of choice, a military tomahawk. But then The Mute was killed by Peter Hale after he tried to blow up Derek with a Claymore mine."

        Sheriff Stiliinski nods at this and so Stiles continues by placing the next police file down. 

        "Next was Demarco," Stiles states. "He delivered a keg to the party at Lydia's lake house and got decapitated outside his car." 

        "He was a werewolf," Scott adds. "And I think he was part of a pack."

        "And then last night, 23-year-old Carrie Hudson," Stiles concludes with the last open supernatural case.

        "It's a dead pool," Scott further explains as he placed the list in front of the Sheriff. "A hit list of supernatural creatures. This is only part of it. The rest still has to be decoded."

        "Who found this list?" Sheriff asks as he glanced over the names and recognized a few. 

        "Lydia."

        "How?" Sheriff Stilinski asks.

        "She wrote it," Stiles answered before correcting himself. "Actually, she transcribed it without realizing it."

        "Banshee?" Sheriff asks trying to make sense of it all.

        Stiles nods, "Banshee."

        "Beautiful," the Sheriffs sighs out as he takes a seat and inspects the list further. "All right, what are these numbers next to the names?"

        "We're getting to that," Stiles states. "First, you need to know that the code was broken with a cipher key."

        "Wait..." Sheriff Stilinski interrupts. "You mean, like a... Like a keyword?"

        "It's actually a name," Stiles explains to his dad.

        " _Allison,_ " Scott comments. 

        "Her name broke a third of the list," Stiles continues.

        "And now we think there's two other cipher keys," Scott adds in.

        "Which will give us the rest of the names," Sheriff concludes with a heavy sigh. "Okay, so how do we get the cipher keys?"

        "Same way we got the code," Stiles answers

        "Lydia," Scott states. "She's been out at the lake house all weekend trying to find the other two keywords."

        Sheriff Stilinski nods at this and takes a look at the list once more. Most of the names on the list were currently crime scene pictures on his desk and the remaining few were familiar except for two. 

        "You didn't know about Demarco or Carrie," Sheriff Stilinski states as he looked over the pictures before focusing on the list once more. "Hmm? And what about these other two names on the list? Uh, Kayleen Bettcher and Elias Town. They werewolves too?"

        "I don't know," Scott tells him. "But Deaton said that the Nemeton would draw supernatural creatures here."

        "Here being Beacon Hills? Or Beacon County?" Sheriff asks. "The population of Beacon Hills is just under 30,000."

        "And dropping..." Stiles mutters earning a glare from his father. 

        "But if we're talking Beacon County, then you're looking at close to 500,000," Sheriff makes them aware. "Look, how many werewolves, banshees, kitsunes and whatever the hell else is out there are we talking about? And what if the next cipher key uncovers not 12 names but 100?"

        "We don't think there would be that many," Stiles explains to him. "There's a limit."

        "Because of the numbers," Scott pipes in. "We think that once we decode the names, the numbers will add up to 117."

        "117 what?" he asks. 

        "Million," Scott answers.

        "117 million dollars, Dad," Stiles emphasizes as he adds up the numbers on the first list. "Stolen from the Hale vault and is being used by someone to finance all these murders."

        "Someone who wants every supernatural in Beacon Hills dead," Scott states.

        "So the coded list goes out," Sheriff puts together. "And somehow these professional assassins get that list."

        "And a cipher key," Stiles adds.

        "And then they go after the names on the list," Sheriff Stilinski continues. "They being killers with no mouths, tomahawks, thermo-cut wires that can take your head off."

        Stiles looks over the new case file based on the recently found Carrie. 

        "Let me see," he states as he glances over the pictures that revealed a hexagon imprint surrounding the stab wound. "Carrie was also stabbed. What's this mark?" 

        "We're not sure yet," Sheriff tells him. "We're still waiting on the ME's report."

        Sheriff Stilinski lets out a sigh as he leaned back in his chair. 

        "There's one other thing I don't get," he states. "How did this new assassin know that Demarco was going to be at the lake house?"

        "Everyone knows he delivers kegs to teenagers for a little extra cash," Scott tells him.

        "Ah," Sheriff sighs out. "So whoever ordered that keg killed Demarco."

        "Yeah, it was someone at the party," Stiles agreed.

        Scott's concern grows at hearing this knowing what this meant.

        "A student."

******

Diana's POV _, Beacon Hills HS_

        I leaned against the row of lockers and watched as Derek looked over the glass trophy case. A smile made a way to my lips as his eyes land on the All-State championship trophy that stood prominently in the middle. Their team picture stood right next to it in a thick golden frame. 

        "What happened to the basketball team here?" Derek asks as he turned back to look at me. 

        I simply let out a shrug as I moved to stand next to him. 

        "It probably happened after you left, you know?" I answer. "Their star player graduated and the whole team just sucked the next year. And the year after that, and the year after that, and then they just... dispelled the whole team altogether." 

        "Ok," Derek chuckles out. "So it's my fault." 

        "Basically," I tell him. "And then lacrosse came to be and now that's the _it_ sport." 

        "How could they have fallen so far?" Derek mutters with a shake of his head. 

        "I know, right?" I respond as I continued to play along. "At least Cross Country is still up and running." 

        Derek lets out a sigh at this while I kept the smile on my lips. 

        "Come on," I say as I restrain my own chuckle. "That was a good pun." 

        Derek shakes his head and motions for us to head out to the locker room. Scott was already waiting right outside the door with a lacrosse stick that Derek thought was necessary. 

        "Gonna beat the kid to death with a stick?" I ask. 

        "If what Scott told us is true, then yeah..." Derek states. "Maybe." 

        I shake my head at him as I push the door open and let Derek in. The young beta angrily storms into the room throwing his sports bag down before landing a kick to it. 

        "What the hell?" Liam mutters as his hands slam the locker. "Where's my stick?"  

       The sound of the lacrosse stick being dragged across a row of metal lockers was accompanied by the clicking of my boot heels. That quickly catches the new werewolf's attention as he follows the sound to us.

        Scott's beta was a young freshman who seemed apprehensive at the sight of us. His blue eyes stared us down with a rising rage that was remarkable at his age. 

        "Is this yours?" Derek asks him as he held the stick up in his hands.

        Liam doesn't respond and Derek quickly snaps the lacrosse stick in half and slides the remaining pieces towards the beta. Liam's breathing becomes rapid as his amber eyes shifted from the ground towards us. He growls as he leaps into an attack and Derek instantly pins Liam into the lockers by his neck. The young beta continued to fight against Derek's hold as his claws attempted to rip Derek's hand away.

        "Feisty little thing you are," I comment as I inspected the angry beta that did not calm down after being beaten. "I like him."

        The young beta growls at this and I can't help the growing grin.

        "I want one."

        Derek glances over at me as if I was crazy.

        "You want an angry hormonal teenage boy?" he asks.

        "I mean Isaac isn't in the picture anymore," I say with a shrug. "I need someone else to fill in."

        "And you think he's the one?"

        "He's adorable," I tell him as I inspect the younger beta. "Like a very angry... chihuahua."

        My comment seems to set him off again and Derek struggles to keep him pinned.

        " _Liam_." 

        The sound of his name by his Alpha seems to calm him down enough to retract his claws and glowing eyes. Scott steps out from his hidden spot by the row of lockers.  

        "You're right," Derek states as he let Liam down. "He is angry."

        "This one's yours," Scott tells Liam as he hands him the real stick. The school bell rings and Scott nods Liam to the exit. "Get to class, Liam."

        The young beta does as ordered and sets his stick back in his slot before picking up his bag and leaving the room.

        "What are you two smiling about?" Scott asks as he turned to look at us again. 

        "You're gonna be good at this, Scotty," I tell him.

        "Are you kidding?" Scott exclaims. "I am totally unprepared."

        Derek and I share a look and just chuckle at Scott's response.

        "Derek, remember how you said you could teach me a few things?" he asks. "I think, right now I could use a full-on training manual."

        "I'll tell you one thing," Derek tells him. "That anger he's got? It'll make him strong."

        "And dangerous," Scott adds.

        " _Very_ ," I comment with a nod.

        Scott lets out a sigh as he takes a seat on the nearby bench. 

        "This was supposed to be the semester I could focus on school again," Scott mutters unhappily. "But Kate's back. And I've got a Beta. And there's a dead pool."

        "If all our names are on that list, then that's what we should be focused on," Derek advises Scott as he takes the seat next to him. "Do you think Lydia can get that second key?" 

        "She's working on it," Scott sighs out. 

        I move to stand across from the young Alpha and offer him a smile.

        "Look, Derek and I will do our best at our end," I tell him earning a half smile from him. "You should head to class, kid. Focus on that for now." 

        Scott sighs once more but knows there's nothing much to do at the moment.

        "We've got a game tonight," Scott states as he looked up at me. "It's just a scrimmage. You should come. The team is missing you."

        "Ha, I doubt that," I laugh out in disbelief. "This is Finstock speaking, isn't it?"

        "No, of course not," Scott answers.

        "That's a lie," I exclaim. "You're lying out of your ass, team captain."

        "No, I'm not," Scott continues with faux innocence.

        "No one on the team even bothered to learn my name," I point out. "Only you and Stiles treated me like a human being. If Finstock wants me back so badly then he can ask me himself." 

        "You would really come back if he asked you?" 

        "No," I answer with a short laugh. "But I might consider it if Finstock begged on his hands and knees for it." 

        Scott shakes his head at me, "I'll make sure to pass on the message." 

        With a parting nod, he walks out of the locker room and leaves us to wait for further updates. Derek looks up at me from his seat with a questioning gaze. 

        "You really liked that Liam?" Derek asks in amusement. 

        "I do," I answer with a smile. "He's an angry little wolf pup." 

        Derek chuckles at this and shakes his head, "You do sure know how to pick them." 

        "What can I say?" I respond with a shrug. "I'm a sucker for an underdog." 

******

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills HS_

        The pencil in her hand reached for the sketchpad in a task to fill it with anything. Lydia waited for something to come to her mind, but it remained as blank as the sheet of paper in front of her. It didn't help that Malia kept circulating around her waiting for something to happen. 

        "Please stop hovering," Lydia grits out after a few minutes. She had no reason to yell at her, but she was failing in getting any answers and the constant surveillance was getting on her last nerve.

        "I'm not hovering," Malia mutters as she takes a step back from the banshee. "I'm waiting. Draw something. Write something. We need to know who else is on that list."

        "You mean, you need to know if you're on the list," Lydia sighs out as she drops her hand. 

        "If someone's coming to take my head off, then, yeah, I'd like to know," Malia retorts.

        "Can you please just sit down?" Lydia exclaims as she raised the pencil once more. "You're making me nervous."

        "Sorry," Malia whispers as she takes a seat on the nearby desk. She opens the art history book on the desk and mindlessly flips through it. 

        Lydia closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She moves the pencil towards the page before Malia calls out her name. 

        "Lydia..." 

        "What?" Lydia grits out which gains no response. "Oh, my God, what?"

        "Maybe we need help," Malia offers as she slides the open book to Lydia. "From another banshee."

        Lydia looks down at the painting pictured on the page that shows a screaming woman. 

        "Meredith," Lydia whispers in relief knowing they were getting somewhere now.

****

        Stiles' desk was scattered with crime scene pictures from the recent murders that involved Demarco and Carrie. This new assassin, though a student, seemed to have a way with rare weapons. Stiles was trying to make sense of it and was ignoring Coach's lecture in class. 

        "Economic disparity exists in all forms," Coach Finstock goes on as he leaned on the lacrosse stick. "Well, take sports, for example. Some teams have better training facilities. Some have better equipment."

        He flips the the stick in his hand as he walked down the aisle of desks. 

        "Unlike Beacon Hills that can barely afford the duct tape to keep our equipment together," he mutters in annoyance at the stick that was wrapped in tape.

        Coach Finstock stops in front of a distracted Stiles' desk and slams the end of the stick on his desk.

        "You know, Stilinski," he exclaims as he crouched down next to his desk and peered at the pictures scattered around it. "If I could grade you on how profoundly you disturb me, you'd be an A+ student."

        "Thanks, Coach," Stiles answers sarcastically.

        "Put those pictures away," Coach exclaims tapping the stick on his desk. Stiles was in the process of putting them away when his focus lands on the rubber end of the lacrosse stick. The familiar figure was similar and he grabs hold of it. "Stilinski! The hell is wrong with you?"

        Stiles uncaps the rubber end of the stick and matches the metal hexagon as the print on Carrie's stab wounds. With this realization, Stiles lets go of the stick and Coach offers him a bewildered look. 

        "Don't answer that," Coach mutters as he walked away.

        Scott looked at his best friend in question and Stiles just gave a shaky sigh.

        "It's a lacrosse player," Stiles tells him as he referred to the pictures.

        Scott's eyes widen in alarm, "The killer's on the team." 

        Once class was over, Scott and Stiles ran into the equipment room and searched every lacrosse stick the school had in storage. Kira was aiding them as well until every stick had been thoroughly inspected and no hidden dagger was found. 

        "This... This is pointless," Scott exclaimed as he threw the last stick down. "Most of the team plays with their own gear."

        "Maybe instead of trying to find a lacrosse stick with a hidden dagger in it, we should be trying to get the game canceled?" Kira offered up. 

        "The game's the best way to catch him red-handed," Scott explained. 

        "But what if he's red-handed cause his hands are covered in the blood of the person that he just stabbed to death?" Stiles argued. "Which, by the way, could be either of you guys."

        "Or Liam," Scott included. "We don't have the whole list but he could be on it."

        "We don't know anything about that list," Stiles exclaims. "How it's made, how it's updated... I mean, who's been out taking a supernatural census anyway?"

        "How do they even know about me?" Kira asks. 

        "They know about everyone," Scott sighs out.

        "I think Kira's right," Stiles states. "I think we should stop the game."

        "I'm not afraid," Scott tells them.

        "Neither am I," Kira pipes in siding with Scott in the end.

        Stiles looked between the two and shook his head in disbelief.

        "Well, I'm terrified, and I'm not even on the list," Stiles exclaims. "Guys, these are professional killers. It's their profession. One of them's got a thermo-cut wire that cuts heads off. Who knows what else they have?"

        In a science lab nearby, Violet has just finished adding the last touches to the serum. She mixes the yellow viscous mix and reveals it to her boyfriend Garrett. 

        "Wolfsbane," Garret repeats in disbelief. "That's wolfsbane? I thought it was purple."

        "Not this species," Violet explains to him. "Which is very rare and very expensive."

        "What's that supposed to mean?" Garrett asks sensing the hostile tone. "Don't screw up?"

        "Don't miss," Violet emphasizes as she mixed the sample around. It'll work fast... Even on an Alpha."

        "We gonna do this again?" Garrett asks in annoyance. 

        "I'm just saying I don't know why we're going after a Beta when there's an Alpha on the field."        

        "Because an entire pack of Alphas went after McCall and he was the one left standing," Garrett reasons. 

        "It's a lot of money," Violet emphasizes once more. She was not willing to drop the subject even though Garrett had shot her down many times before. 

        "So is the Beta," Garret states as he pulls his lacrosse stick and presses for the dagger to appear. The sharp blade sticks out from the end and Violet lets out a sigh before grabbing a sample of her serum and letting it coat the silver edge. 

******

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills Preserve_

        Diana was surprised when Derek had agreed to join her on her run. She did ask him out of politeness, but she had never expected him to agree. It was obvious from the days they've spent together that Derek's routine avoided any form of cardio and focused on weight training. Diana was the opposite and though she enjoyed the time she spent with Derek, she had to get out of the loft. 

        "You sure you can keep up with me?" Diana asks him as they stopped in front of the make-shift trail. She started to stretch her arms and legs which prompted Derek to do the same. 

        "Are you saying I'm slow?" Derek responds with mock insult. 

        "I'm just saying I'm fast," Diana reminds him as she stretched down to touch her toes. "But don't worry, I'll slow down if you need me to." 

        "You won't have to slow down," Derek states as a challenge. 

        "Alright," Diana responds as she accepted it. "But if I do leave you behind, which I'm sure I will, then you owe me a favor." 

        "Ok then, but if I manage to keep up, _which I will,_ then you'll owe me a favor," Derek concludes. 

        Diana nods at this knowing she had this in the bag. Without warning she starts to jog down the trail leaving Derek behind in mid-stretch. He instantly recovers and runs after her. 

        "That's cheating," Derek immediately states once he caught up. 

        "No, it's not," Diana answered. "We have no rules." 

        Derek rolls his eyes at her response even though it was true.         

        "Well it was uncalled for," he mutters. 

        Diana shrugs and continued at her pace. Derek realized after awhile that she was going slower than her usual pace and he decided to call her out on it.

        "Are you slowing down for me?" 

        Diana chuckled at the question. 

        "This is my warm-up pace," she explained. "I haven't gone for a run since... Wow, since our last Cross Country practice."

        "That was about a month and a half ago," Derek states. 

        "I know," Diana mutters in disbelief. "You might actually have a chance here." 

        Derek smiles at this and continues to jog at her pace. 

        "Have you heard from your bff, Braeden?" Derek asks sensing Diana's pace shift slightly. "It's been more than a week and she was meant to be back by now." 

        "No," Diana answers with a shrug. "It isn't rare for her to be silent and to disappear. It just means she's focused which is good for us. She'll call when she actually has something to say." 

        "What if she got paid off?" Derek offers up. 

        "You got a point," Diana mutters as she thought about it. "But you're paying her well and Braeden would have the decency to warn me if someone was offering to out-pay you." 

        Derek decides to believe her in this and drops the matter altogether. They run in silence for awhile and Derek senses the pace increase in speed. Diana doesn't seem to break a sweat while Derek could feel fatigue spreading in his body.

        "I can't seem to wrap my head around this dead pool," Diana states out of the blue. "I'm trying to make sense of it ever since Scott told us, but it just doesn't make sense." 

        "What do you mean?" Derek asks trying to steady his breath. 

        "This Benefactor, what does he or she have against us?" Diana asks. "It can't be a hunter, because we don't pay for assassinations. We do it ourselves if it's called for. But who else would have the need to kill supernatural beings?" 

        "I don't know," Derek answers as he felt a bead of sweat slip down his forehead. 

        "And the price value for each person," Diana continues. "The money's limited so not many people are on these lists, but they still had big numbers on some of us." 

        "Like you?" Derek offered up. 

        "Yeah," Diana chuckles out. "23 million for just me? They could have funded about 23 more assassinations but they chose me." 

        "I understand what you're saying, but it also sounds like you're bragging," Derek states a bit out of breath. 

        "Are you upset that I'm worth more than you?" Diana asks in amusement as her pace sped up once more. They were no longer jogging, or in fact running. They were sprinting down the rough running trail and Derek was struggling to stay at her side. 

        "I'm concerned that they'll target you first," Derek answers.

        "Don't worry about me," Diana assures him. "I can take care of myself."

        It takes a few seconds for Diana to realize that the lack of response was due to Derek having slowed down and being left behind. She smiled in victory until she looked back to find him trying to catch his breath. She quickly sprints back to him only to have him wave her away.

        "I'm fine," Derek pants out as he tried to regain his breath. "Just don't run much for this exact reason."

        Diana narrowed his gaze at him in concern. Ever since he started to lose his sense of smell, she feared the loss of any other of his werewolf senses may fade away too.

        "Are you sure?" she asks him as she motioned for him to raise his arms over his head to allow his lungs to expand making his breathing easier. "Ever since The Mute, I've been worried that..."

        Diana doesn't dare finish her statement and she doesn't need to as Derek knew what she had meant to say. He feared that she may be right at the moment, but Derek didn't need her to be distracted by his condition when they were assassins after the both of them.

        "I'm not a runner," Derek states. "I don't do cardio and you're... you're basically running at the speed of light even though you haven't gone on a run for so long. I just... no wonder Isaac complained about Cross Country practice."

        Diana can't help but chuckle at this and Derek offers her a smile knowing his condition had slipped her mind. He needed to keep it that way for a while more. It wouldn't do any good if Diana even suspected his worsening state.

        Her outright admission of wanting to kill Kate had concerned him at the time, but he assumed she'll lose interest especially with the dead pool going around at the moment. But if she knew about what was happening to him, how he might be losing his power, then she'll focus on Kate on a new alarming level and there would be no stopping her.

        So Derek admitted defeat and allowed Diana another moment of sheer happiness. Her smile was something he was growing accustomed to and it caused his heart to flutter knowing he was the cause of it.

        "Guess what we're doing tonight," Diana sings out as she walked back to the car beside him in order to let him recover. 

        "What?" Derek asks having a feeling he wouldn't like her answer. 

        "We're going to a ball game," Diana states with a growing smile. "You and I are going to watch the lacrosse game." 

******

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills HS_

        After an alarming confrontation between Liam and his former teammate, Brett, Scott and Stiles had no other choice but to shove the young angry Beta into a cold shower. He continued to struggle under their hold, growling and clawing to be let go, but Scott and Stiles shoved him under once more. 

        "Okay, you calm yet?" Stiles asks after a few minutes. He honestly didn't know if he'll be able to hold Liam under any longer. 

        Liam lets out a growl before relenting. 

        "Okay!" he exclaims. "Okay!" 

        Scott shuts the water off and Liam slides down onto the floor in exhaustion. 

        "That car you smashed," Scott states recalling the argument from before. "I thought you said that was your teacher's." 

        "He was also my Coach," Liam mutters tiredly. "He benched me for the entire season."

        "What did you do?" Scott asks him. 

        "I got a couple of red cards," Liam answers with a dismissive shrug.

        "Just a couple?" Stiles remarks in disbelief. 

        "You gotta be honest with us," Scott states as he kneeled in front of Liam. "What else happened?"

        "Nothing," Liam exclaims. "I got kicked out of school. They sent me to a psychologist for evaluation."

        "What did they call it?" Scott asks.         

        "Intermittent Explosive Disorder," Liam answers quietly.

        "I.E.D?" Stiles exclaims in disbelief. "You're literally an I.E.D? That's great. That's great... You gave powers to a walking time bomb."

        Scott ignores Stiles' rant and turns to Liam in concern.

        "Did they give you anything for it?"

        "Risperdal," Liam answers. "It's an antipsychotic."

        "Oh, this just gets better," Stiles mutters under his breath. 

        "But I don't take it," Liam makes aware.

        "Obviously," Stiles comments earning a glare from Scott to simmer down.

        "I can't play lacrosse on it," Liam explains as his head drops down. "It makes me too tired."

        "Okay," Scott sighs out. "I think you should bail out of the game. Tell Coach your leg is still hurting."

        "No, no!" Liam exclaims as he stands up. "I can do this. Especially if you're there."

        "But, Liam, it's not just about the game," Scott explains to him. "We think whoever killed Demarco might be on our team."

        "Who's Demarco?" Liam asks confused. 

        "The one who brought the beer to the party," Stiles tells him. "The guy who was beheaded, remember?"

        "We think the person who ordered the keg killed Demarco," Scott states.

        Liam tenses up as he hears this and Scott immediately takes notice of the change.

        "Liam?" he asks calmly. "What, you know something?"

        "I don't know who ordered the keg," Liam answers. "But I know who paid for it."

        "Who?" Scott asks urgently. 

        "Garrett," Liam answers. "It was Garrett." 

******

Diana's POV,  _The Loft_

        I slipped my leather jacket on and checked my lipstick one last time before I made my way downstairs. Derek was impatiently waiting for me by the door and he pocketed his phone with a relieved sigh. 

        "Oh don't scowl at me," I tell him as I grab a hold of his hand. "You should be excited for our date." 

        "This is not a date," Derek grits out as he closed the door behind us. 

        "Why not?" I ask him with a slight frown. "You're taking me out to watch a game."

        "Not a date," Derek repeats. "This can't be our first date." 

        "What are you talking about?" I ask him. "This isn't our first date." 

        Derek remains silent as he reached his car. He waited for me to get in before he finally answered my question. 

        "We've never gone a date since we started dating," Derek states as he put the car on drive. 

        "That can't be true," I state before I start to think over it and realize it might be. "Well, wait... no, that was Cora's idea. How about... Yeah, how about that time you taught me how to play basketball?" 

        "That wasn't a date," Derek remarks with a scoff. "It was just a day at the park that you coerced me into. A proper first date has dinner, conversation, and an intense make out." 

        I roll my eyes at this and let out a chuckle. 

        "So a date for you consists  _making out?"_ I ask in amusement. "What are you... a teenage boy?" 

        "I was just a few weeks ago," Derek remarks. 

        "Don't remind me," I groan out. "Seeing you like that freaked me out!" 

        Derek laughs at this and I shake my head at him. 

        "Ok, but how can't a lacrosse game be our first date?" I ask. "It's something we'll enjoy and I'll let you take me home afterwards which surpasses the making out bit that you're so stuck on."

        "I'm not letting some barbaric game that replaced the golden game of basketball be our first date," Derek states again. "Besides, Scott texted me that the assassin's on the team so we won't even be watching for enjoyment anymore." 

        "Are you serious?" I ask in disappointment. "We couldn't have one night off to enjoy ourselves." 

        "I'm not that upset," Derek shrugs. "This isn't a date." 

        I roll my eyes at him and glare at his triumphant grin. 

        "Can I at least hold your hand or something?" I ask him. 

        "This isn't a date," Derek reminds me as if I could have forgotten already. 

        "Your definition of a date involves making out, you never said anything about hand holding," I point out and the heavy exhale I receive in return makes me think he's ignoring me. That is, until he offers his right hand out for me to take. 

        "Yay," I whisper as I fingers laced against his. 

        "This isn't a date," Derek reminds once more. 

        "I know, I know..." I mutter with a roll of my eyes. "But you owe me a proper first date, Hale."         

        Derek smiles at this and nods, "Don't worry, I already planned one."

******

Third POV,  _BH Police Station_

        Sheriff Stilinski pulled his jacket out of the coat hanger and swung it on. He immediately closed the open case files on his desk and pulled out his keys from the decorative coffee mug on his desk. It didn't help that he was multi-tasking with his phone pressed between his shoulder and his ear. 

        "I'm leaving now," Sheriff Stilinski tells his son. "And this conversation isn't getting me there any quicker."

        Stiles hangs up at him soon after and the Sheriff is just about to close his office door when Deputy Parrish steps up to him with an apologetic look.

        "Sheriff, I know you're in a hurry, but I was out on patrol and I found someone walking from the coast to the High School."

        "That's gotta be at least 15 miles," Sheriff Stilinski exclaims.

        "She was pretty determined," Parrish responds as he motioned for the woman waiting nearby. 

        Sheriff Stilinski looks over and finds Meredith looking up at him.

        "I'm looking for Lydia."

        Sheriff Stilinski sighed in defeat knowing he wouldn't be making the scrimmage. He turned to Parrish with a grim smile. 

        "I'll handle this." 

        It didn't take long to get Lydia to the station as she and Malia were already on their way there. Having Meredith find them was unexpected but helpful all the same. Sheriff Stilinski quickly escorted them inside and tried to keep their presence under wraps. 

        "I'm aware this is probably about the dead pool, but I can't let her leave the station," the Sheriff explains to them as he led them to his office. "And, in a minute, I'm gonna have to call Eichen House and let them know that she's here."

        "Give us an hour," Lydia attempts to negotiate.

        "You got 15 minutes."

        Lydia sighs but nods and enters the office with Malia following after her. Deputy Parrish takes notice of Lydia's presence and immediately moves towards the Sheriff.

        "You called Lydia?" he asks in surprise. 

        "Yeah," Sheriff Stilinski curtly responds.

        "Because Meredith asked for her or because of the other thing?" 

        "What other thing?" Sheriff asks in concern. 

        "The psychic thing," Parrish responds as if it was obvious.

        "You think Lydia's psychic?" Sheriff asks in surprise. He had never expected Deputy Parrish to have come to such a conclusion but this man seemed to keep surprising him.

        "Do you?" Parrish asks in return. 

        "No, I do not," Sheriff responds immediately. "I think that she is, uh... Intuitive."

        "That's what they used to call psychics," Parrish comments. " _Intuitionists_."

        "Yeah, and I used to call myself a rational human being," Sheriff Stilinski mutters under his breath before quickly making up his mind and ushering the young deputy inside his office. "Get in here and shut the door." 

        With Deputy Parrish inside and his office door closed, Sheriff Stilinski turns to Lydia and motions for her to get started.

        "Ask what you need to ask," he sighs out.

        Lydia pulls out her phone and offers it to a timid Meredith. Meredith glances down at it and takes the phone from Lydia's hand.

        "Meredith, aren't you going to answer it?" Lydia asks as Meredith remains silent. 

        Meredith offers a timid smile to Lydia and whispers, "It's not ringing." 

        Lydia lets out a sigh and takes her phone back from Meredith. It was time for a different approach even though Lydia had no other approach planned at the moment. 

  
_Beacon Hills HS_

        Derek parks the car and reluctantly steps out while Diana practically skipped to his side. Diana could practically feel Derek trudging his steps as they made their way towards the field. 

        "Come on," she exclaims. "I thought we were over this. This isn't a date. I don't get to enjoy myself. Lacrosse sucks compared to basketball." 

        "Though all of that is true, I gotta lay back for awhile," Derek states as he glanced at his phone to read the incoming text. "Argent's on campus and he wants to talk." 

        "Are you serious?" she asks him. "This isn't some kind of excuse to ditch the game." 

        "Not an excuse," Derek assures her as he pockets his phone. "Go save me a seat. I'll be back soon." 

        "You better," Diana shouts after his retreating form.

        Diana lets out an annoyed huff, not too happy on being ditched suddenly, and makes her way towards the quickly filling benches. She doesn't even get a chance to sit down when her name is being called too loudly for her taste. 

        "Diana!" Coach Finstock shouts. "Thank God, you came! Come over!" 

        Diana wanted to ignore it, but Coach was too loud and everyone's attention quickly turned to her. 

        "Don't sit there, I got the best seat in the world right here," Finstock exclaims as he motioned to the player's bench. "This is basically the VIP section and you, Diana, are VIP."

        Diana rolls her eyes, but knew he wouldn't let up until she sat next to him. She unhappily makes her way down to the field and made it very aware on her face that she wasn't pleased at the unwarranted attention. 

        "My boyfriend is going to join me soon," Diana makes aware. "There is room in the VIP section for him, right?"         

        "Of course," Finstock replies eagerly. "So about you coming back to work under me..." 

        "Oh look," Diana interrupts as she catches sight of Scott, Stiles, and Kira. "My favorite players. Excuse me as I go wish them luck." 

        Coach Finstock is left speaking on his own as Diana avoided him for the time being. 

        Across campus, Derek scans the nearby area for any roaming students before extending his claws and turning the dial on the vault. Argent waits patiently as the staircase is revealed and looks back at Derek in question. 

        Derek simply takes a deep breath as he descends down the stairs prompting Chris to follow closely behind him. Chris glances around the shelves filled with ancient relics and jars filled with unknown substances. Derek takes out the Triskelion token out of its box and hands it over to Argent. 

        "She was here for this," Derek tells him. "We use it to teach young Betas how to control the shifts on a full moon."

        "Control was never one of Kate's strengths," Chris states as he inspected it briefly before handing it back to Derek.

        "You knew she was alive, didn't you?" Derek asks him. 

        "Not for certain," Chris answers as he pulls out Kate's shotgun shell he's been holding onto for awhile. "But I'd been searching ever since you handed me the shotgun shell."

        "What are you gonna do when you find her?"

        "There's a place I can take her," Chris tells him.

        "You saying you have some kind of werewolf jail?" Derek asks in disbelief.

        "Something like that," Chris answers.

        "She won't go quietly," Derek makes him aware.

        "I don't expect her to," Chris sighs out. "And I'll do what's necessary."

        "What if I asked you not to?" Derek asks him receiving a scowl in return. "She took something from me."

        Derek reveals his amber eyes and Chris starts to realize the severity of his situation.

        "At first, I just thought it was a part of my past," Derek explains. "I started to lose something else. My sense of smell. I'm losing my power and whatever Kate did, it's not just affecting me, it's affecting Diana too."

        "Does Diana know about any of this?" 

        "She suspects," Derek sighs out. "But I change the subject whenever she brings it up." 

        "Why?" Chris asks him. "She should know." 

        "I can't tell her," Derek tells Chris. "Diana's already planning to kill Kate once she's found. If she knew about this, she'll make Kate her priority and she'll hunt her down with no mercy and then no one gets what they want." 

        "She's going to be angry once she finds out," Chris warns him. 

        "Yeah, but at least I'll have her here," Derek confesses. "At least she'll be here with me and not off running to who knows where with assassins chasing after her." 

        Chris nods at this in understanding and lets the matter drop. 

        "You heading to the game now?" he asks. 

        "Soon," Derek answers with a hesitant nod as he glanced at the shelves around him. "I have to stick around here and pick up a few things before heading upside." 

  
_BH Police Department_

        Lydia kneeled down to talk to a seated Meredith. She seemed complacent and ready to help but Lydia didn't understand how her current silence was aiding them at all with this dead pool upon them. 

        "Meredith, you came here to help us, remember?" 

        "You called me," Meredith tells her.

        "What do you mean I called you?" Lydia asks confused. 

        "I heard you," Meredith whispers to the young Banshee.

        Lydia is caught off guard by this detail and Deputy Parrish decides to step in at the moment in hopes of clearing things up at both ends.

        "Meredith, can I ask you a question?" he asks causing Meredith to straighten up at the sight of the handsome deputy. "When you need help, when you need to find something, is there someone you reach out to? Maybe someone you call?"

        "It depends," Meredith answers. "Different people for different things."

        "So maybe there's a number that can help us?" Parrish asks. "Someone _we_ can call."

        "Yes." 

        "Would you be okay telling us?" Parrish asks. 

        "Yes," Meredith answers and Lydia is quick to pull out her phone and begins to dial the numbers that Meredith calls out. "It's 2...4...3...6."

        "Mer, we need a few more numbers," Malia states.

        "No," Meredith responds with a shake of her head. "That's the number." 

        "Phone numbers are 10 digits," Malia clarifies hoping to gain more from the banshee.

        "That's the number," Meredith repeats.

        "Meredith, phone numbers always have 10 digits," Lydia states once more.

        "That's the number," Meredith repeats again growing frustrated.

        "Meredith..." Lydia grits out but the Sheriff steps in as he noticed Meredith sense the hostility growing with the room.

        "Lydia," Sheriff Stilinski calls out as he helped her off the floor. "I think that's the best we're gonna get."

        "No," Lydia whispers. "There has to be more."

        The young Banshee turns to Meredith with no more patience left. 

        "What's the rest of it, Meredith? Hmm?" Lydia asks, her voice no longer holding sweetness but pure impatience. "Just concentrate!"

        "But that's... that's... that's the number," Meredith stutters out as she tried to make sense of what was occurring in front of her.

        "Concentrate!"

        "That's... That's the number," Meredith continues repeating. "That's the number."

        Lydia turns away and tries to not break down while Meredith continues to repeat the same phrase over and over again. Sheriff Stilinski moves to comfort her but Meredith recoils back from his touch.

        "That's the number!" 

        Sheriff Stilinski motions for Parrish to help Meredith outside his office and ease her back down. He leaves Lydia and Malia in his office as he called Eichen House to finally retrieve Meredith. 

        Lydia lets out a sigh as she sat down on Stilinski's desk with nothing but inconsistent numbers written down on a scrap of paper. Meredith had been another dead end and Lydia felt like she failed once more. 

        Malia paced around the desk as she tried to make sense of what had just occurred. It wasn't until her eyes caught the telephone on the Sheriff's desk that an idea came to mind. 

        "Lydia, what if it's like Algebra?" Malia asks her.

        "What do you mean?" a tired Lydia sighs out. 

        Malia moves the telephone in front of Lydia and points out the number keys. 

        "What if the numbers are actually letters?"

        Lydia realizes that Malia may be right and quickly puts her theory in action. She spells out the designated letters onto the same scrap of paper and tries to configure a name out of it. 

        "Oh, God..." Lydia sighs out as a name stands out to her. 

        She circles the designated letters and spells out the name  _Aidan_. Lydia pulls out her laptop from her bag and runs the next block of undeciphered code. She plugs in the newly acquired key and the next list is deciphered with a brand new list of names and prices. 

******

Diana's POV,  _Beacon Hills HS_

        The game was rougher than usual and I knew it had to do with Liam's history with Devenford Prep and the issue of a hired assassin on the field. It didn't help that Kira was benched for the rest of the game due to her lack of team effort when she solely scored a point. All we could do now was track from the sidelines for Player #7 to make a killer move.

        It didn't take long for a tackle to go wrong and I watch in alarm as Liam is thrown roughly onto the ground. Everyone exclaims at the sight of the tackle and the three bodies on the ground. Coach Finstock and I are the first to move onto the field as no one moved to get up.

        "Everyone, back off!" I shout at the crowding team members as hired EMT's followed behind me. Coach Finstock moves towards Brett while I directly head towards Liam.

        Scott and Stiles reach Liam first and help him off the ground.

        "I know we're still getting the hang of things, but was it necessary to hit him that hard?" I ask the young Beta as I approach him. 

        "I didn't," Liam pants out as he raised his severely broken arm. "He hit me."

        "Ow," Stiles moans out as he quickly turned away. 

        "Oh," I whisper. "That is a beautiful break right there." 

        Scott turns to me for further aid and I knew what I had to do. 

        "Liam, I know we got on the wrong foot and I apologize for that," I state as I take a hold of his break into both of my hands. "I fear you'll have another reason to hate me after this." 

        "After what?" Liam asks and in that distracted moment I force the broken bone back in place. "Ow!"

        Liam groans once I'm done but the wound heals quickly after I reset the bone. The player from the opposing team continues to scream on the ground and the EMT's are quick to carry him off the field.

        "Are you cut?" Scott asks as his focus returns on his beta. "Did Garret cut you?"

        "No, no," Liam sighs out as he checked himself. "I'm okay."

        "Then he missed," Scott states in relief.

        "What do you mean?" Liam asks confused. 

        "It's you, Liam," Scott makes aware. "You're the one he's after."

******

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills HS_

        The game was placed on hold as Brett was carried out of the field. Diana watched Garrett saunter off with a grin and it made her uneasy. It didn't help that Derek hadn't returned at all and the game was almost over. With the looming threat, Diana told Scott to remain vigilant while she went out to search for a missing Derek. 

        Scott remained behind with Kira while Liam spoke to Coach Finstock. They watched as Finstock let out a disgruntled shout and Liam makes a quick exit before things could turn worse. 

        "I talked to Coach," he tells Scott as he got back to them. "I'm out for the rest of the game."

        "What are you gonna do?" Kira asks.

        "I don't know," Scott tells her as he glanced over a resting Garrett. "Something's still not right. We're missing something."

        "Hey guys," Stiles calls out to them as he pulled up Lydia's recent text. "Lydia just broke another third of the list."

        "Am I on it?" Liam asks anxiously. 

        "No," Stiles answers. "But someone else is." 

        Stiles points out to the fourth name on the list and the missing piece of the puzzle clicks into place for Scott. 

        Garrett hadn't missed at all. In fact, he had hit his intended target and Scott was none the wiser. It wasn't too late to fix his mistake which was why Scott quickly followed after Brett's scent. 

        Scott quickly runs down the school halls and comes to a stop as he notices the unconscious body laid outside the locker room. He can hear a faint heartbeat and sighs in relief before entering the locker room alone. Brett's body is laid out on the floor and Scott fears he's come too late until Brett gasps back into consciousness. 

        A wire is quickly placed around Scott's neck and Violet lets out a triumphant chuckle as she tightens it with the clip. 

        "He said we shouldn't try," Violet states. "But now I've got you. I got an Alpha." 

        The thermo wire is burning and Violet attempts to behead Scott once and for all but the clip won't move further. Scott lets out a growl as he he rips the thermo wire with his bare hands. He's quick to throw Violet away from him and her head hits the cement walls knocking her out for good. 

        Stiles stumbles into the locker room and takes notice of the many bodies thrown on the floor. Scott dropps the thermo wire necklace down onto the ground and looks up at Stiles. 

        "I think you better call your Dad." 

  
_The Hale Vault_

        Derek stretched his hand before him trying to will his claws to appear. It had been a few minutes since he attempted to shift partially but nothing occurred. He had to close the vault before the crowd from the game made their way into the school parking lot. 

        He was about to call Peter for help which was the last thing he wanted to do. Peter would surely ask questions that Derek didn't want to answer and because this was Peter, he'll figure it out himself and hold it over Derek's head indefinitely.  

        Derek let out a sigh knowing he had no other choice but to call until Diana came into his line of sight. She seemed relieved to see him and Derek can't help but share that same relief knowing he avoided a dangerous situation. 

        "Hey," Diana calls out with a smile. "I've been looking everywhere for you. Game's been postponed due to some major injuries and Lydia cracked the next set of the dead pool list." 

        Derek nods at this and places his hand inside the pocket of his jacket. Diana looks toward the entrance of the vault with a questioning gaze. 

        "Aren't you going to close that thing?" 

        "I thought you could do it since you're a Hale by association," Derek answers. 

        "Funny," Diana comments with a chuckle. 

        "I'm being completely serious," Derek tells her as he motioned her to the dial on the side of the Beacon Hills sign. "It's a theory I want to test out." 

        "I'm not a Hale though," Diana points out. 

        "You are," Derek answers as he stood behind her and raised her arm upward. "The Mate mark on your neck makes you a Hale." 

        "Is this some fail attempt of getting out of marrying me?" Diana asks in amusement. "Because legally this doesn't count." 

        Derek chuckles at this and shakes his head. 

        "Just do it," Derek remarks once more as he let her arm go. 

        Diana doesn't think it'll work but she decides to let Derek have this. She flips her wrist and her claws extend with ease. Holding her breath, Diana places her claw through the seal and a light purple glow is emitted before the seal turns her hand into the correct combination. The vault slowly seals itself once more and Diana takes a step out of its way. 

        "Oh my God," Diana laughs out as she turns to Derek. "Did you see that? I did it!"

        Derek's heart warms once more at the sight of her smile and the way she runs up to him and leaps into his arms. He can't help but share her enthusiasm and let her happiness seep into his chest because it felt a lot better than the empty hollowness of his current realization. 

        He had lost his blue eyes and then his ability of smell. Now it seemed that Derek was losing his ability to shift at whim and Diana... well Diana couldn't know any of this. 

        Not now, anyway.


	12. Orphaned

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills HS_

        Liam stepped into the hallway only to join in on the chaos that was occurring within it. All of the lacrosse players were trying to step into the locker room but Coach Finstock was pushing all of them back awaiting further notice from the police. 

        "Guys, back off," he shouts. "You can get your gear tomorrow. If anybody sees Garrett, you notify the police immediately. Then tell him he's off the damn team."

        Liam ignores Coach's rant and turns the corner when he hears Scott's voice. 

        "Dad, really, I'm okay," Scott tells him. 

        Liam takes a step back and waits for their conversation to end. 

        "I should've been here," Agent McCall states. "I said I would be at the games."

        "Well, I mean this was just a pre-season scrimmage," Scott brushes off. "I didn't even tell you about it."

        "But I promised your mom I'd be around so she could pick up some double shifts at the hospital," Agent McCall explained to his son. "I should've been here."

        "You're here now," Scott tells him with a relieved smile. 

        Agent McCall doesn't know what to say not having expected this from Scott. Things had changed with his stay and he was glad it was for the better. 

        Their conversation comes to an abrupt end as Deputy Parrish leads in a now conscious Violet through the empty hallway. She trashed around within the restraints of the handcuffs causing Violet to glance down at the Deputy's name tag. She recognized the name and a grin grew on her lips. 

        "Jordan Parrish?" she asks.

        " _Deputy_ Parrish, _"_ Parrish corrects her as he dragged her further down the hall.

        Sheriff Stilinski watched as his deputy walked her out of the school. He let out a sigh as he closed the evidence bag in his hand. 

        "Sheriff, what is that?" Agent McCall asks him as he takes notice of the item. "Is that the weapon?"

        "Yeah," Stilisnki responds. "It's a thermo-cut wire."

        Agent McCall is alarmed by that answer and quickly chases after the deputy, "Parrish, hold up." 

        Scott was ready to follow after his dad but Liam turned the corner of the hallway and stopped him. 

        "Where's Kira?" Scott asks him noticing his girlfriend's absence.

        "She took off," Liam told him. "Stiles told her about Lydia cracking the second part of the Dead Pool."

        "Her mom's on it," Scott sighed out in realization.

        "Everyone's on it," Liam comments.

        "You're not," Scott reminds him.

        "Not yet..." Liam sighs out. "There's still another third, right?" 

        Scott wanted to answer and releave Liam's concern but he grows distracted once more. His father stood a few feet away with an annoyed Violet. 

        " _Thermo-cut wire's... a very unusual weapon, Violet._ _Now, we've got a file at the bureau on something similar. Used in over a dozen murders."_

        " _I don't know what you're talking about_ ," Violet responds with a growing grin on her lips. " _I just go to school here._ "

        " _Maybe we should call your parents then,_ " Agent McCall taunts. " _Oh, no... That's right. You don't have any parents. That's why they call you The Orphans._ "

        Scott watched as Violet's grin disappears into a scowl. Agent McCall had hit a nerve and didn't allow her a response as he motioned for Parrish to take her away.

        "We need to find her boyfriend, Garrett," Agent McCall warns the Sheriff.

        Stilinski nods at the suggestion and motions for Coach Finstock who had finally gotten rid off his impatient lacrosse team. 

        "Coach, I'm gonna need both their locker numbers," Sheriff orders from him. "And someone find me a set of bolt cutters." 

        Scott turns his focus away from the scene ready to return to Liam's pending question but it was obvious from the young new Beta that his Alpha had more urgent matters to attend to. Garrett was on the run and they had to reach his locker before Sheriff Stilinski did. 

******

Diana's POV,  _Animal Clinic_

        Yellow foam spilled out of Brett's lips and his body continued to convulse under our hold. Stiles, Derek, and I were struggling to keep the boy on the table as Deaton worked around us as he checked out the dying boy on the table. I hadn't seen this coming when Stiles came to find Derek and I, but it seemed that the killer on the field had managed to reach his target after all. 

        "What the hell is happening to this kid?" Stiles asked in concern. 

        Brett had been conscious when we found him, but as we approached the Animal Clinic he took a turn for the worse. 

        "He's been poisoned by a rare wolfsbane," Deaton answers. "I need to make an incision and you need to hold him as still as possible." 

        The boy continued to shake under our hold. I pinned his legs down while Stiles and Derek held an arm down each. Stiles glared up at Derek as Brett continued to shift. 

        "Hey, Derek, how about a little werewolf strength?" Stiles muttered.

        "Yeah, I'm not the only one here with werewolf strength," Derek remarks back.

        "If you can't hold him still, the incision might kill him," Deaton warns us.

        "He's slipping," Stiles exclaims as he tries to keep a hold on Brett. "I don't think I can hold him." 

        Brett's eyes turn a bright amber and he shoves Derek and Stiles away. I try to shove him back down on the table but his legs kick me down to the floor. 

        The young Beta seems delirious by the wolfsbane and lets out a growl as he attempts to escape the clinic. Before it could reach the exit, an incoming Peter sends a punch and knocks out the young wolf.

        The whole room turns silent as we looked up at Peter's glowing blue eyes. 

        "I guess I still have a little werewolf strength myself," Peter remarks.

        I narrow my eyes at him in suspicion as Stiles helps me off the ground. 

        "Yeah, maybe more than a little," Derek comments. 

        Brett remained laid out on the floor and I looked down at him realizing a very alarming detail.

        "Deaton, I don't think he's breathing," I state as I kneel down next to the Beta.

        Deaton is quick to pull out the scalpel and makes a deep incision down his chest. A puff of yellow smoke escapes the cut and immediately Brett's chest rises with a deep breath. 

        "Is he okay?" Stiles asks. 

        "I think he'll be fine, but he'll probably be out for a while," Deaton answers.

        After a few seconds, Brett's lips begin to move and a faint whisper could be heard.

        "Guys, can you hear that?" I ask as I lean closer to the Beta. "I think he's saying something." 

        " _The sun... The moon... The truth... The sun... The moon... The truth..."_

 _"_ Three things cannot long be hidden," Deaton states as he glanced up at Derek. "The sun, the moon, and the truth. It's Buddhist."

        I look up at him and noticed the faint recognition that flickered on his face. Derek turns to Peter who seems to have come to the same conclusion. 

        "Satomi." 

******

Third POV, _Beacon Hills Preserve_

        It was early in the morning as Liam and Mason jogged down the hiking trail. Liam had slowed down his pace to match Mason who was distracted by the recent news. All Mason could talk about this morning was about what happened last night as he tried to make sense of it.

        "It's not just that we were friends with them," Mason exclaims. "They were using us for their cover. I mean, professional killers were using us."

        Liam had tried very hard to forget what happened last night but Mason did nothing to help as he continued to talk about Violet and Garrett. 

        "How are you not freaking out about that?" Mason asks his best friend. 

        "Trust me, I'm freaking out about a lot," Liam responds as his pace started to change.

        Mason tried to catch up to him but it was no use as Liam sprinted down the path.

        Liam was running away from invisible demons that threatened to become real. Scott had assured him that he would help Liam but with everything that was currently going on, there hadn't been time. Liam knew his name was on the dead pool list even though it hadn't revealed itself yet. 

        His so-called friends had tried to kill him and he knew others wouldn't hesitate to do the same. Liam sprinted deeper into the trail until he noticed that he left Mason miles away. 

        Liam let out a sigh and turned to walk back before he's flung down the trail. He lets out a groan of pain and rolls onto his back and takes notice of the black car that hit him. Footsteps beat down on the ground and Garrett's face comes into view. 

        "Hey, Liam," Garrett greets with a smile as he held the poisoned blade in his hand. "Sorry about missing movie night. Don't worry, I got something else planned." 

        The dagger comes down onto Liam's chest causing the already wounded werewolf to lose consciousness. This made it easier for Garrett as he drags the unconscious Beta away from the scene. 

        Mason comes jogging down the trail a few minutes later and sighs as he doesn't find Liam at all. The trail kept going further but Mason had no time to keep going past this point as school started in an hour and he had no intention in being late.

        Without much of a choice, Mason turned back on the trail to make his way back failing to see the drops of blood that were scattered around the ground. 

 ******

Diana's POV,  _Beacon Hills HS_

        The class bell rung one last time but no students lingered around the halls anymore. It was almost comedic how we always seemed to end up back at school, but after yesterday's event it was necessary. Derek had been concerned when he heard that Satomi's pack was being targeted and he failed to offer me an explanation whatsoever as to who this Satomi was and how he knew her. 

        Yet the explanation didn't matter. I knew he would make himself clear once we found this Satomi and her pack to warn them of the dangers to come. Derek and I would have done it ourselves but since our ability to smell was impeded we had no other choice but to rely on someone else.

        Derek seemed lost as we made our way through the halls and he refused to ask for help. I trained my hearing to find any semblance of anyone and soon find something. 

        " _Has anyone seen Stiles, Lydia or Kira today?_ " 

        I perk up at the sound of their names and lead Derek towards the classroom.

        " _Malia, any idea where your friends are?_ " 

        " _I could try catching their scent._ "

        Derek stops me before we're able to reach the classroom and motions for us to wait.

        " _Right... How about I just mark them down as absent."_

Derek clears his throat and whispers her name.

        "Malia." 

        " _Okay, everyone, let's begin with last night's homework..."_

"Malia." 

        " _Malia, do you need to be excused from class?"_

That was enough to know that Malia got our message and I nod at Derek that she's received it. It doesn't take long for Malia to track us down and her eyes narrow at the sight of us.

        "What are you guys doing here?" 

        "Brett's still out of it," Derek explains to her. "We need to find his pack and warn them about the Dead Pool." 

        "So what do you need me for?" Malia asks.

        "I know a little something about this pack," Derek states. "They have a kind of secret meeting place in the woods. No one's spent more time in the woods of Beacon Hills than you." 

        "This is Brett's," I tell her as I toss her the lacrosse jersey. "Breathe it in." 

        "I'm not good at that yet," Malia remarks.

        "Try it," I assure her. "I once promised you that I would teach you to shift fully and this is one small step towards that," I tell her causing Malia to perk up at the task. "Focus on the different scents. Some are tied to identity. Others give off an emotion." 

        Malia seems to hesitate but takes in the scent of the jersey. She scowls as she tries to concentrate but it soon disappears as her eyes open and reveal a bright blue.

******

Third POV,  _BH Police Station_

        Stiles and Lydia made their way past the front desk and into the deputies bullpen. Deputy Parrish is the only one that greets them and without question leads them towards the Sheriff's office. 

        "Your dad should be back within the hour," Parrish tells them. "You want to wait in his office?"

        "Actually, we want to talk to you," Stiles responds as he closes the door shut.

        "Privately," Lydia comments at the questioning gaze from the deputy. 

        Parrish remains in the room and waits for them to clue him in. Lydia pulls out the second part of the dead pool list and hands it over to him. 

        "This is a hit list?" 

        "We call it a Dead Pool," Stiles corrects him. "Recognize any of the names?"

        "Yeah," Parrish answers with a shrug. "The Sheriff had me run a bunch of these through the system last night, but we couldn't find any of them."

        Stiles nods at this and motions for Lydia to step up.

        "Show him the other thing." 

        Lydia takes the list from Parrish and unfolds it. On the last line was his name: _Jordan Parrish 5._

"Okay," Parrish mutters. "That's kind of terrifying. What's the number?"

        "That's how much you're worth," Lydia tells him.

        "I'm worth five dollars?" he exclaims. 

        "Five million," Stiles corrects him causing the deputy to become alarmed. 

        "I only make 40,000 a year," Parrish comments. "Maybe I should kill myself." 

        He hands the list back to Lydia with a single question left on his mind. 

        "I don't get it," he tells them. "Why... Why am I on this?" 

        "Honestly, that might be a question for another day," Stiles sighs out. "Right now, there's still another third of the list we gotta crack."

        "We need the third cipher key," Lydia explains further. "But we need help getting it." 

        Deputy Parrish looked between the two teenagers knowing there was a reason they were confiding in him from everyone else.

        "From who?" 

        "Meredith," Lydia states.

        "The girl from Eichen?" Parrish asks in surprise before heading for the door to let them out. "The last time you saw her, you almost gave her a nervous breakdown."

        "Uh... Almost," Lydia reminds him. 

        Stiles cringes at the response and felt their small chance of getting Deputy Parrish's help instantly disappeared. Though the reluctant sigh that left Parrish's lip offered him hope. 

        "You sure she can help?" he asked. 

        "She's the only one that understands how it all works," Lydia explained vaguely. 

        "Fine," Parrish sighs out. "I'll see what I can do." 

        "We'll take what we can get," Stiles states in relief. 

  
_ Beacon Hills HS _

        Coach Finstock took a big drink out of the bright orange DayQuil on his desk. He scowled at the remaining artificial taste in his mouth and let out a painful groan as his sinuses remained clogged. He lazily looks up towards the two kids waiting outside his office. 

        "Sorry, guys," he apologizes. "Liam skipped my class. Maybe he's sick. Like me." 

        Coach sniffles and lets out a heavy cough before taking another swing from the DayQuil bottle. Mason shook his head at Coach's response and turned to Scott. 

        "Liam didn't look sick on our run," he tells him.

        Scott glances down at his phone and looks at Liam's text thread.

        "He's not getting back to any of my texts." 

        "Mine either," Mason remarks as they both walk down the hallway.

        "Yeah, don't worry," Scott sighs out to the young unaware freshman. "I'll find him, but text me if you see him."

        "All right," Mason agrees before heading to his next class.

        Scott watches him go and feels his phone vibrate with a call. 

        "Liam?" Scott answers immediately. 

        " _Sounds like you already know the answer to that, Scott,"_ Garrett answers instead causing the Alpha to stiffen at the sound of his voice. 

        "Where is he?" 

        " _Come on,"_ Garrett chuckles out. " _Like I'm actually going to tell you that?_ " 

        "I'll give you the money," Scott offers up as he referred to the sports bag he found that was filled with cash which he hid under his bed.

        " _Yeah, you will, but that's not going to get you Liam back,"_ Garrett tells him. " _You're going to have to put in a little more effort than that._ "

        "What do you want?" Scott asks.

        " _I want the money **and** Violet,_ " Garrett states. " _Or you never see Liam again._ " 

******

Diana's POV,  _Beacon Hills Preserve_

        Malia had gotten us as near as we were able to be by car. Derek shuts his car off at the end of the driving trail and we all step out to survey the scene. The silence from the ride disappeared as we stepped out into the woods as Derek began to answer our unasked question.  

        "Their Alpha is a woman named Satomi," Derek explains. "She's one of the oldest werewolves alive and she's learned a lot."

        "What does that mean?" Malia asks. 

        "She's a bitten werewolf," Derek tells her. "Learning control wasn't easy for her. She did something a long time ago that changed her. The quote is a mantra. It helps them with control."

        Malia stops walking and frowns.

        "What is it?" I ask her. 

        "Gun powder," Malia answers.

        I quickly scan the area around us before I find a bullet casing on the ground.

        "If Brett's pack is out here, I don't think they're meeting," I tell them as I let the casing drop to the ground. "They're hiding."

******

Third POV,  _Eichen House_

        The orderly had easily led them towards Meredith's room without further question. Stiles knew that the only reason they had made it so far was because of Deputy Parrish's badge which made him deeply consider getting one on his own in order to slip into places he had no reason to be in. 

        The orderly continued to struggle with his keys which was enough time to make their luck turn for the worst when Brunski made his way down the hall. 

        "Oh, no, not this guy," Stiles muttered under his breath.

        "What the hell are we running here?" Brunski exclaims at the elderly. "A bed and breakfast? We do not just open the door for anyone with a badge." 

        Deputy Parrish doesn't allow Brunski to scare him off like the others had and stands his ground.

        "We need to talk to Meredith Walker," he states. "It involves a murder investigation."

        "Well, _you_ can talk to her all you want, but these two, especially that one...," Bruski states as he points to Stiles. "They're outta here."

        "They're crucial witnesses in an ongoing investigation," Parrish continues. "I wouldn't have brought them here if it wasn't absolutely... _crucial_." 

        "Okay, Deputy," Brunski continues to threaten. "How about you come back with a court order, then I'll listen." 

        Brunski then turns his glare onto Stiles. 

        "As for you, Mr. Stilinski, how about you come back with payment in full," Brusnki exclaims. "That's right. Daddy may be the Sheriff, but he's late on the bills. I guess those government jobs aren't as reliable as they used to be, huh?"

        "But they do help when you need a favor," Parrish steps in once more. "Like, how a month ago, Canaan P.D. helped you get home after blowing 0.1 on a breathalyzer." 

        "No..." Stiles chuckles out in amusement as the scowl in Brunski's face disappears.

        "Alright," Brunski mutters unhappily. "I'm not against a little quid pro quo. Not at all. Not at all."

        Brunski pulls out his set of keys and slams them on Stiles chest for him to take. With a shake of his head, Brunski leaves them on their own and walks out of the hallway. 

        "You," Stiles states as he turns to Parrish with a wide smile. "You, I like you. I'm gonna keep you."

  
_Unknown Location_

        Scott had tried very hard to prevent this from happening but Liam's life was being threatened and that left him with no other choice. Garrett's demand was simple, but dangerous nonetheless. Stopping a secure transport vehicle was easy, but allowing two assassins to escape free was not. 

        "There's a stop sign half a mile ahead," Garrett states as he drove down the same road the armored vehicle had gone through. 

        "So I take out the tires with my claws?" Scott asks. 

        "Teeth, claws, heat vision, whatever," Garrett mutters. "Just stop them. You ready?" 

        Their car neared the drop location but what they found was not what they had expected. The vehicle was turned on its side and bodies were scattered around. 

        "Stop!" Scott exclaims. "Stop the car!"

        Garrett does as told and makes an abrupt stop. Scott is quick to jump out and heads towards the bodies laid out on the ground. 

        "Dad!" 

        Sheriff Stilinski groans as he tries to pull out an unconscious Agent McCall's body out of the car. They were both bleeding pretty badly but were alive. 

        "Scott..." Stilinski groans out as he reached for him. 

        Scott helps pull out his father's body out of the car and hears Garrett approaching.

        "She's not in the car," Scott tells him as he catches sight of the double edge spear that Garrett was holding. "Violet's gone." 

        "Scott, listen to me," Sheriff Stilinski grits out. "They're still here... They're still here." 

        It doesn't take long for Scott to realize what Stilinski was referring to as bones cluttered against each other and the scent of death lingered in the air.

        Garrett doesn't let the lone Berserker to scare him.

        "You want me?" he threatens. "Come on. Come and get me." 

        He swings the spear professionally in his hands and beckons the creature into a fight. The Berserker doesn't move from its place and continues to stare at him.

        "Yeah, that's right!" Garrett shouts triumphantly. "You're not so big. You're not so big..." 

        His words are cut short as the second Berserker sneaks up behind him and drives its claws into Garrett's chest. Scott moves to help him but the first Berserker quickly grabs onto him and knocks him out. 

*****

Third POV,  _Eichen House_

        Lydia and Stiles took a seat on the bed across from Meredith. The experienced Banshee had quickly turned down their plea for help and remained silent. Lydia and Stiles shared a look before deciding to pursue the rejection further even if it may result like last time. 

        "Meredith, what do you mean you can't tell us?" Lydia asks her. 

        "We just need the third key," Stiles states. "You can give it to us in numbers, letters, hieroglyphs. Whatever you want."

        "I can't," Meredith tells them.

        "Then why did you give us the second key?" Lydia asks. 

        "I wanted to help," Meredith answers. "That's what I want to do. I want to help."

        "Great," Lydia answers happily. "So help us now, okay? Give us the third cipher key."

        Meredith shakes her head once more, "Things have changed. I... I can't." 

        "Why not?" Stiles asks her.

        Deputy Parrish had remained silent through the whole conversation but he could tell from the way Meredith had tensed up that this conversation would end up with the same results as last time.

        "Guys, go easy on her." 

        "I'm sorry," Meredith apologizes. "I can't. He... He doesn't want me to."

        "He?" Stiles picks up. "Who's he?" 

        "Meredith, who doesn't want you to tell us the third cipher key?" Lydia asks more descriptively. 

        Meredith shakes slightly at the answer. 

        "The Benefactor." 

  
_BH Animal Clinic_

        Scott's eyes fluttered open but burned at the immense light that shone. His sight is blurred but soon begins to clear up the longer he remained conscious and awake. 

        "Hey, there," Deaton greets him with a small smile. "I was actually hoping you would be out for a few more minutes." 

        "Scott..."

        Scott turns to the second voice and finds Chris looking down at him. 

        "This is going to hurt," Chris warns him causing Scott to take notice of the dagger that was deeply embed into his side. Chris immediately starts to take it out and Scott groans at the immense pain. The dagger is soon removed and Deaton has to hold him down to prevent Scott from falling off the table.

        "You all right?" Chris asks him once Scott calmed down.

        "Where's my dad and the Sheriff?" Scott answers with instead as he sat up from the table.

        "They're at the hospital," Deaton tells him. "They're both doing fine." 

        Deaton presses a gauze onto his side and motions for Scott to hold it. 

        "It was Kate," Scott states. "It was her and the Berserkers."

        "We know," Chris tells him. "But they move fast and they don't leave much in the way of tracks."

        "We have to find her," Scott grits out in concern. "Kate's got Violet. I think Violet knows where Liam is." 

        "Then as much as this hurt, it could probably also help," Deaton states as he offered the Berserker's dagger for Scott to take. "Can you catch a scent?" 

*****

Diana's POV,  _BH Preserve_

        Malia, Derek, and I had tried to search for them in the surrounding area in hopes of finding something to trace them down with but nothing showed up. Satomi was as experienced as Derek had warned us she'll be and the lack of evidence in the area proved it to be true.

        Night had fallen by the time we reached the car and the day had been wasted away in our search that served useless. 

        "I'm sorry," Malia apologizes to us as we climb into Derek's car.

        "There's nothing to be sorry about," Derek tells her. "If they don't want to be found, then we're not going to find them."

        Malia seemed confused by the statement and I knew she wanted to know more.

        "Some werewolves have an ability," I explain to her. "A kind of mastery over their bodies where they can actually inhibit their scent." 

        "They can hide from other werewolves?" Malia asks in surprise. 

        "From anyone who's trying to find them," I tell her. "It's how I hid from Derek for awhile. He didn't notice that I was like him." 

        "Caught me off guard when I found out," Derek answers with a faint smile. 

        It felt so long ago that Derek and I had come across each other for the first time in years. It always surprised me to remember how far we've come since then and I knew Derek thought that too.

        "So that's why nobody knew about Brett," Malia concludes with this newfound knowledge.

        "Same with Demarco," Derek comments.

        Malia sits up in her seat as an idea came to mind.

        "Maybe we need to try something different," Malia offers up. "Maybe we need to think like Stiles."

        "Like a hyperactive spaz?" Derek asks not finding the appeal to Malia's advice.         

        I slap his chest unamused by the joke and Derek simply offers a relaxed chuckle.

        "Like a detective," Malia corrects with a roll of her eyes. "If they're really Buddhists, then maybe instead of asking where werewolves hide, we should be asking..."

        "Where would Buddhists hide?" I finish understanding where Malia was coming from.

        Derek takes some time to think before he takes notice of the compass on his dashboard. 

        "When Buddha sat under the Bodhi tree, he looked to the east for enlightenment," Derek offers up as he starts the car.

        "Is there some kind of eastern point in Beacon Hills?" Malia asks. 

        "Yeah," Derek answers as a place came to mind. "At Lookout Point." 

*****

Third POV,  _Eichen House_

        Lydia rose from the bed and stared Meredith down. This was not the time for Meredith to remain silent. They were so close to ending all of this if only Meredith would just speak. 

        "What's his name?" Lydia asked her. "You could just tell us his name."

        Meredith shook her head and Stiles tried to get her to answer. 

        "Okay, you're shaking your head," Stiles points out. "What's that mean? Does that mean you don't know? Or you don't want to help us?"

        "I can't... I can't help anymore," Meredith stutters out as she turned to Parrish for help. 

        "How do you know about him?" Lydia asks seeing Meredith's attention stray from the previous topic. 

        "Guys, I think we better stop," Parrish states noticing Meredith's plea.

        Lydia ignores the deputy and focuses on Meredith once more. 

        "Meredith, a lot of people are going to die if you don't tell us," Lydia states trying to convince Meredith to aid them again.

        "I don't... I don't know," Meredith stutters out as she rocked back and forth. "I don't know."

        "Meredith, it's okay," Parrish pleads more calmly. "You're gonna be all right." 

        "I don't... I don't... I don't know," Meredith continues to stutter out.

        "Meredith," Parrish calls out to her noticing that she wasn't listening to them anymore. "Meredith..." 

        " _I said, I don't know!_ " Meredith shouts alarmingly loud. 

        Lydia stumbles back by the sheer force and Stiles is quick to catch her before she fell. He helps her back to her feet and takes notice of how her ears were suddenly bleeding. Stiles looked back at Meredith waiting for an explanation as to what happened but she just crawls to the corner of her bed and rocked herself into further silence.

  
_ Argent Arms Internation _

        Scott sprinted out of the woods and made it into the clearing. Chris drives in a few seconds later and parks his car next to him. Scott surveys the scene as he waits for Argent to step out of the car. The way that Chris sighs at the sight of the building makes Scott aware of an alarming detail. 

        "You've been here before?" Scott asks him. 

        "I worked here," Chris tells him. "We used to own the building. It was part of our business."

        "I've fought these things before," Scott explains. "They're strong. _Really_ strong." 

        "That's why I brought this," Chris states as he opens the passenger door to pull out a machine gun. Scott's eyes widen at the sight of it. 

        "I'm good with that," Scott chuckles out at the sight of it. 

        Chris leads the way inside the warehouse unsure of what he would find. The place Kate had chosen was sentimental for the both of them, but with time it had lost it's value. 

        The whole warehouse was empty and abandoned. Run down by the many years of disuse. Plastic curtains were torn and withering like abandoned ghosts that had remained far too long. 

        _"You shouldn't have come."_

Kate's voice echoes through the warehouse but didn't offer any clues as to where she was located. Scott and Chris scan the area for her but she was nowhere in sight. 

        "Kate," Scott calls out to her. "I'm here for Violet. I need to talk to her."

      _"I knew you'd find me."_

         A large shadow appears across from them that could only belong to Kate.

        "But... I was hoping we could do this later," Kate states as the outline of her shadow shrinks with every step she took in their direction. "I just needed a little more time."

        "For what?" Chris asks as he raises the gun in her direction. 

        "To learn control," Kate states as she slips out from the curtain with her claws extended. Two of her berserkers stood protectively behind her as she revealed herself to them. "Lower the gun. We walk away. And you don't have to get hurt."

        "Where's Violet?" Scott asks. 

        "Put the gun down, Chris," Kate states ignoring Scott altogether.

        "Where is she?" Scott asks again. 

        Kate doesn't respond and the silence grows longer. Chris and Kate stare off at each other awaiting for the other's move, for the other's attack. The berserkers sense the shift in the air and so does Scott. Chris' fingers lays on the trigger and Kate lets out a growl. 

        "No, no!" Scott shouts but it was too late as the berserkers sprint past Kate and Chris pulls the trigger. Bullets rain on the creatures of the night but it doesn't slow them down. 

        The machine gun soon runs out of bullets and Kate quickly disarms him of it before he's able to reload. Chris is thrown away and Scott ducks under the berserker's swing. 

        Chris and Scott barely manage to dodge the berserker's attack as they came swinging non-stop with their sole intent of killing them. Remaining furniture and plaster walls were being torn apart as the berserker's threw them into them. 

        Scott crashes through the wall and lands harshly on the ground. He tries to regain his breath as the berserker came for him but his mind strays away from the fight as he catches sight of the body seated in the chair nearby. 

        Violet. 

        It was Violet and her throat was slashed with her insides spilling out. 

        A roar echoes through the warehouse calling the berserker's off their attack. Chris was recovering from his own wounds and watched as Kate walked away unscathed.

        "Scott... " Chris calls out as his vision blurs. "Scott..."

        The young Alpha appears at his side and offers him a hand to help him off the ground. Chris relies on him heavily with a deep frown on his face. 

        "I'm sorry," Argent apologizes.

        "I'm not going to find him," Scott tells him.

        "There's still time, Scott," Chris assures him. "There's still time." 

        As if on cue, Scott hears a howl that manages to reverberate deep into his bones. His eyes turn red and the tides change to his favor. 

******

Diana's POV,  _Lookout Point_

        The whole forest seems to radiate silence as we all made our way towards the ridge. The lights coming from downtown would offer a nice view if it wasn't for the loud silence surrounding me at the moment. It didn't help that Derek and Malia were silent as we made our way up to Lookout Point. 

        Malia suddenly grabs a hold of my arm and makes me stop. 

        "Malia?" I ask. "What is it?" 

        "You don't smell that?" Malia asks with a scowl. 

        Derek and I share a look of concern at this before Derek starts to trek further down. 

        "Wait for us here," I tell Malia as I follow after Derek.

        As we walked further down the ridge the source of the surrounding silence finally came into view. Bodies, and more bodies were scattered around the landscape with lifeless eyes and black blood spilling from their eyes.

        My hand grasps Derek's at the sight of the massacre in front of us. The shock of a whole pack being completely wiped out had stun us into silence.

        We were too late. Our warning came too late. And now we had another burden to bear.

        "What happened?" Malia asks as she stepped beside us and took in the scene herself. 

        "I think they might have been poisoned," Derek tells her as his eyes flickered to the scattered bodies and further guilt consumed him.

        "That's great," Malia mutters under her breath. "If assassins with guns don't get you, then the ones with wolfsbane poison will. Or maybe one with no mouth. Maybe we should all be running from Beacon Hills. Running for our lives. As fast as we can." 

        "Once you start running, you don't stop," I tell her. "It all catches up to you in the end. Believe me, I know."

        There was no reason to linger longer than we had to. In defeat, we all turn to head back when a faint gasp catches my attention. Malia seems to hear it too as we turn to look back at the scene behind us. 

        A bloody hand sticks out in the horizon and I'm quick to sprint towards it. I come to a sliding stop and immediately drop to my knees at the sight of a barely conscious Braeden. I brush Braeden's hair away from her face and tried to assess her injuries. 

        "Oh God," I whisper as I take sight of the gunshot wound on her side. "What did I get you into?" 

*****

Third POV,  _Stiles' Room_

        Lydia stared blankly at the wall ahead of her. Stiles' incessant pacing paired with his rambling had quickly given her a headache that was failing to fade away. Her laptop screen was mocking her at the moment as she was unable to break the last third of the list and there was no end in sight. 

        "Okay, well, we know one thing," Stiles rambles. "Both of the first two keys, Allison and Aiden, they're both names of the dead. Right?" 

        "But we've already tried every other dead person's name we could think of," Lydia tells him. "And if you haven't noticed, there were a lot of tries." 

        "Yeah, I noticed..." Stiles sighs out before he glances up at Lydia. She's distracted, more so than usual, but it was different this time. She looked guilty. 

        "You okay?" Stiles asks her as he stopped pacing. 

        "The only other Banshee I've ever met... and I think I might have just drove her over the edge," Lydia answers solemnly.

        "Lydia, it wasn't your fault," Stiles assures her. "I was there, too. And you're probably not the only..." 

        Stiles pauses as he makes an already existing connection that he had simply overlooked. 

        "Hold on," he states causing Lydia to peel her sight away from the wall and towards him. "Banshees predict death, right? So what if the third key is someone who isn't dead..." 

        "...But will be," Lydia concludes.

        Lydia takes a deep breath and focuses on the screen in front of her. The last script of code that needed to be deciphered was waiting for her prediction. 

        She closes her eyes and places her fingers on the keyboard. She called on to the whispers that quickly came to her call. It was hard to comprehend them all but her fingers seemed to have received the message as they slowly typed out a name. 

         _Derek._

        Stiles and Lydia were shocked by the name blinking on the screen and even more so as it deciphered the last of the dead pool list. 

        The new list contained the remainder of Scott's pack and Meredith's name as well. Lydia scanned through the new list and quickly turned to Stiles. 

        "Call Parrish," she tells him in urgency. "We need to call Parrish." 

        Stiles is slow to understand the order Lydia has given him. The name that Lydia had typed out was one of their own. 

        Derek was rough and rude and hard to like, but he was there. He's been there from the very beginning. Though he's had his ups and downs, Derek was one of the good guys. He was.. Diana's good guy. He was their friend. And he was sentenced to die next. 

        "Stiles," Lydia calls out to him once more knowing the shock he must be going through. "I'll call Parrish. Don't worry about it." 

        Stiles doesn't know how he managed to peel himself away from his desk as Lydia made the call. He knew he should have called Diana with this news but there were more urgent matters at the moment and Stiles knew that a phone call was not the best method for this kind of news. 

        "What are you talking about?" Lydia exclaims. 

        Stiles turns to look at her and takes notice of the alarm on her face. 

        " _Lydia, Meredith's gone,_ " Parrish told her. " _They found her an hour ago in her room. She hung herself. I'm sorry."_

        Lydia slowly drops her phone to the ground as pure shock took over her body. Stiles walks over to her and pulls her into a small embrace which she gladly receives. They both needed at the moment as death seemed to linger closer than they thought was possible. 

  
_BH Animal Clinic_

        Scott had barely managed to reach the abandoned well in the middle of the preserve. If it wasn't for Liam's howl, Scott would have never found him and reached him in time. With the help from Chris, Scott managed to take a barely conscious Liam to Deaton's office to receive the cure from the wolfsbane in his system. 

        Deaton makes a deep incision down Liam's chest that releases a small puff of yellow smoke. Scott wipes away the sweat that had collected on Liam's forehead and sighs. 

        "I don't want to keep watching people die," Scott tells them.

        "I'm not sure you have much choice about that," Chris warns him.

        "Maybe I do."

        "That's a lot of burden to carry, Scott," Deaton advises him seeing the growing determination on the young Alpha.

        "I don't care," Scott answers as he looked down at Liam. He shouldn't have been a victim. None of them should be a victim but the dead pool placed an unreasonable target on their backs. "No one else dies. Everyone on that list. Everyone on that Dead Pool. It doesn't matter if they're wendigos, or werewolves, or whatever. I'm gonna save everyone." 

        Deaton and Chris share a concerned look but knew there were no words to dissuade Scott from this decision. The boy did have good reason and a good heart for his intentions but this kind of burden was to heavy to carry on his own. All hands were needed for this mission and with Scott leading the way, it was easy to step up behind him. 

****

_McCall Residence_

        Scott and Stiles sat across from each other with a single sports bag in between them. The bag had once belonged to Garrett and Violet with their massive earnings of the kills they had made during their time in Beacon Hills. Scott and Stiles looked at the bag tiredly as their shoulders were slumped with the heavy burdens they've had to carry through the day and the thoughts of the ones they would have to carry on tomorrow. 

        Scott's mom was currently downstairs trying to figure out which bills were being paid this week and if there would be enough money for groceries. Stiles' dad was currently receiving medical care at the E.R. which would surely add on to the stockpile of bills on the Sheriff's desk. 

        "You counted it yet?" Stiles asks as he glanced down at the bag filled with money. 

        "No," Scott whispers.

        "We should probably count it," Stiles tells him.

        Scott nods at this and they both turn the bag upside down and spill the stacks of bills onto the floor. A cassette tape is the last that falls and Scott immediately reaches for it. 

        On the label on top if it read one thing. 

         _PLAY ME._

  
_ Unknown Location _

        Kate looks down at the remaining stains of blood on her hands. She had tried to wash them away but the red hue remained on her skin. Kate rubs her face tiredly and brushes her untamed hair back.

        _"I suppose you're hiding down here because it'll cover your scent but I can smell a rat... Even in a sewer."_

        The berserker's growl at the uninvited incomer and Kate is quick to reach for her shotgun. Peter steps out of the shadow and reveals himself to Kate. At the sight of him, the were-jaguar waves her berserker away from an attack.

        "It's getting worse, isn't it?" Peter asks her. "The surges of anger. The loss of control. You know, I used to get angry. As a kid, I would even break my own toys in little fits of rage. And then I asked myself, _Why break your own toys when you can break someone else's?"_

"Stop pitching and just tell me what you want," Kate states with a glare.

        "Obviously, we're in a position of mutually assured destruction," Peter offers.

        "Oh, I'm not so sure the scales are that balanced," Kate taunts as she peers down at Peter.

        "Probably true," Peter remarks as he glanced at the looming berserkers. "But... I know you want to get the family back together again. The return of the Argents to their glorious power. Am I right?"

        The glimmering hint of interest in Kate's eyes proved Peter right and so he continues. 

        "But you know, you can't go back unless you can exhibit absolute and total control," Peter warns her. "I can offer control. I can teach you."

        "So, you're willing to teach me in order to get what you want," Kate concludes. "Which is what?"

        "Obviously, I want my money back," Peter answers but Kate doesn't take the bait. There was something much more important than a few millions that Peter was searching for. There was something more of value.

        "Mmm-mmm, that's not it," Kate hums out. "Maybe part of it... but that's not all you want." 

        "I need the money, yes," Peter agrees with a nod. "But I'll admit, money only gets you so far. What I want is what I've always wanted."

        Peter steps closes to Kate with every word that spilled out of his mouth. Kate kept his eyes on him and noticed the growing grin on his lips and the darkness that lingered in his eyes. 

        " _Power_."


	13. Weaponized

Third POV, _McCall Residence_

        _"After entering the IP address, you will be connected through a Darknet portal to an untraceable bank. Once logged in, enter your account number to receive wire transfers. The IP address will deactivate with each transfer. You will be assigned a new IP address if you choose to continue down the list. Remember, visual confirmation is always required for payment._ "

        Stiles presses the stop button and turns to Scott. The tape ends promptly there with no further instructions and no significant clue as to who the Benefactor could be. 

        "You ever made a wire transfer?" Stiles asks him. 

        "Never had enough money," Scott replies as he looked down at the stack of money between them.

        "So you didn't understand a word of that either?"

        "I don't understand any of this," Scott sighs out. "Why would someone use all this money just to kill us?"

        "Someone wants you dead, dude," Stiles reminds him. " _Badly_. _"_

Scott lets out another sigh and starts to return the stacks of money into the sports bag. Scott just wanted it gone while Stiles seemed bewildered by his act.

        "Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?"

        "It's late," Scott tells him. "We've got the PSATs in the morning."

        "No, I meant the money," Stiles states. "$500,000. You know how much money that is?"

        "It's 500,000..." Scott repeats.

        "It's half a million dollars, Scott," Stiles exclaims. "What are you going to do, just slide it under your mattress?"

        "I have to talk to Derek," Scott explains to him. "The money's his."

        "You mean his and _Peter's,_ " Stiles reminds him. 

        "What does that mean?" Scott asks noticing Stiles' reluctance.

        "It means maybe we should proceed with caution," Stiles warns him.

        "You don't think we should tell Derek?" Scott asks him. 

        "No, no..." Stiles sighs out. "No, of course we have to tell him. I'm just... I'm just saying, some of that money's Peter's, right?"

        "Yeah," Scott answers with a nod.

        "Right? _Peter._ Homicidal killer? Remember?" Stiles argues. "You want to give $500,000 to him."

        "...So we should give Derek his money back, but not Peter?" Scott concludes with hesitance. 

        "I didn't say that," Stiles responds causing Scott to become more confused than he already was.

        "Stiles, what are you saying?"

        Stiles hesitates with his response but it was obvious what his thoughts were revolving around. Scott had the same idea but this wasn't their money and they had no right to keep it. 

        Neither are able to state this out loud as loud footsteps are heard coming from the staircase. Scott quickly slides the sport's bag under his bed while Stiles throws a blanket over the bed's edge to cover it. Malia soon makes her way in and takes notice of their frantic expression. Malia quickly gets over it knowing that the news she had was more important. 

        "We found Satomi's pack," she tells them. "Derek, Diana, and I. But they're dead."

        "All of them?" Scott asks in concern. 

        "All the ones we found."

*****

Diana's POV,  _BH Hospital_

        Thunder erupted behind us as we ran through the parking lot in the pouring rain. My clothes stuck to my body like a second skin and I frantically try to catch my breath as I shove the door to ER open. Derek followed closely behind me as he carried an unconscious Braeden in his arms. 

        "She's been shot!" I shout at the waiting staff in front of me. "I think she's dying."

        The minutes after our entrance turned into a blur as nurses and the on-call doctor ran towards us. I barely remember Melissa coming up to me with questions that needed to be answered. 

        "I uh, she's been shot on her left side," I tell her as I watch Braeden be taken down to surgery. "I think it might be a shotgun... I don't know... I just... they were all dead and she was shot and..."

        "Calm down," Melissa states as she tries to regain my attention. 

        "They were attacked," I continue to explain. "They seemed to have been... poisoned. Everyone's dead." 

        Melissa looks behind me and I soon feel Derek's embrace. His breaths were slow and calm and I knew he was trying to make me follow his example. My heart seems to calm down at the steady breathing I replicate and I manage to relax slightly. 

        "She's going to be fine, Diana," Melissa assures me as she offers me a towel so I can dry myself off with. "You got her here just in time." 

        I let out a sigh of relief and take the rough towel from her. Without having nothing else to do at the moment, I let Derek drag me towards the waiting area as we wait for results. 

        I place the towel under my dripping hair and keep my focus on the hallway waiting for the surgeon to come out with news. Derek's fingers lace with mine and I knew his concern was directed to me at the moment. 

        "You really care about her, don't you?" he asks me. 

        "I just..." I sigh out as I turn to look at him. "She was the only friend I had after I left my family. I taught her everything she knew... or well everything she didn't know." 

        Derek smiles at this and pulls me closer to him. 

        "I did this to her," I whisper in guilt. "I put her in harm's way... _again_." 

        "Diana, please don't..." 

        "It's true though," I admit to him. "I set her up against Deucalion and she barely survived him. What was I thinking putting her against Kate? I can barely handle Kate and I sent Braeden in my stead. I'm going to get her killed and she... she doesn't deserve that."

        "Diana..."

        "She will never say no to me," I whisper. "She can't. Not after all we've been through." 

        "What are you saying?" Derek asks as his eyes narrow down at me. 

        "We can't make her do our job for us," I tell him. "We can't put someone innocent in the line of fire." 

        Derek knows I'm right but I can sense his hesitance as to what I was building up to. 

        "I will find you the answers you're looking for," I state as I place my hand on his cheek. "I will get you back to the way you were, but I'll do it myself."

******

Third POV, _Beacon Hills HS_

        There was an air of nervousness that radiated through the vacant school hall. A long line of students were waiting with pencils in hand for the exam that would determine the next step after high school. Scott, Kira, Malia, and Stiles were huddled near each other trying to remain calm as they waited for registration. 

        "Where's Lydia?" Kira asks noticing her absence. 

        "She's took it her freshman year," Stiles tells her.

        "Does that mean I could have taken it some other time?" Malia asks ready to make a brief exit. 

        "Malia, you studied harder for this than any of us," Scott reminds her.

        "Doesn't mean I'm gonna do good."

        " _Well..."_ Stiles corrects her.

        "Well, what?" Malia asks confused. 

        "It's do _well_ , not good," Stiles explains.

        "Oh, God!" Malia exclaims unhappily.

        "Okay, you're doing this, because while we're trying not to die, we still need to live," Scott reassures her. "If I survive high school, I'd like to go to college. A _good_ college."

        "It's only three hours," Kira pipes in hoping it'll help. "We can survive three hours."

        The line finally starts to move forward and everyone steps into the testing classroom. The testing pamphlets were being set on the designated desks while students signed in at the front desk. Their thumbs pressing on the ink pad to their designated answer sheet. 

        "Cell phone in the envelope, Scott," Ms. Martin asks as she offers the vanilla envelop to Scott. "You'll get it back after the test."

        Scott does as he's told and pulls his phone out of his backpocket and slips it inside the labelled envelope. He's quick to reach his seat and waits for the room to fill in for further instruction.

        "Please do not open the test booklet until you are instructed to do so. This test is two hours and 10 minutes. There will be two 25-minute critical reading sections, two 25-minute math sections and an essay writing portion that will last 30 minutes." 

        The district appointed instructor turns to Ms. Martin as he noticed the lacking supervisor in the room. 

        "There are supposed to be two teachers monitoring this exam," he states.

        "I know," Ms. Martin answers sheepishly. "It's Coach. He's not exactly punctual. Um, let me just try him again." 

        Ms. Martin pulls out her phone and steps out into the hallway to call Coach Finstock once more. Finstock's ringtone is easily heard and Ms. Martin turns to his closed office in search of him. The sight she finds is one she hadn't expected. Finstock was laid out on his desk with a heavy sweat. 

        "Oh, no," she whispers as she walked towards him. "Hey, get up."

        Finstock only groans at the nudge on his shoulder and continues to sleep.

        "Oh, Bobby," Ms. Martin mumbles sadly. "15 years sober and you fall off the wagon at school? Coach, look at me."

        Ms. Martin grabs a hold of his face and tries to capture his attention but he continues to mumble in his sleep and his eyes remained closed.  

        "Forget it," she whispers in defeat. "I'll bring you some coffee during one of the breaks. _15 years, Bobby."_

Ms. Martin makes her way out of Coach's office and heads back into the testing room. She offers the instructor an apologetic smile.

        "I can't find him, but Mr. Yukimura is upstairs grading papers," Ms. Martin offers up. "Do you want me to try him?"

        Simon, the instructor, takes a glance at his watch knowing they were already falling behind schedule.

        "We have to start," he states. "We can ask for his assistance during the first break."

        Simon turns to the class before him and watches every student perk up at his attention. 

        "You may now open your test booklets and begin." 

        Immediately the test booklets are opened and pages are flipped to start. The stress level of the room seems to increase at the sight of the questions and each student had their own way of dealing with it. Time ticks of faster than anyone would have liked but it quickly comes to a stop as the girl seated beside Scott collapses onto the ground. 

        "Sydney!" Ms. Martin shouts in surprise as she jogs towards the girl. "Are you all right?"

        "I'm okay," Sydney mumbles as Ms. Martin helps her back on the desk. "I just got kind of dizzy."

        Ms Martin takes in Sydney's appearance and takes notice of the rash on her arm, "How long have you had this?"

        Sydney looks at the rash in confusion, "I don't know."

        Simon had been watching the interaction and knew that most of the students were distracted by it as well. 

        "Ms. Martin, do I need to stop the test?" he asks. 

        "No, um, it's fine," Ms. Martin states as she leaves Sydney's side. She picks up her phone and offers the class a gentle smile. "Everybody stay in your seats. I'll, um, be back in a minute."

        Her focus then shifts back to Simon as a flash of urgency appears on her face, "Nobody leaves the room." 

        Scott perks up at the sound of this and narrows his focus on Ms. Martin who slips out into the hallway. The urgency becomes distinctly clear as he hears what occurs out in the hallway. 

        _"Get back! No! Do not come in here! Get back outside!_ " 

        Scott and a few others from the class rush out of the room where Ms. Martin once again offers them a nervous smile in hopes that it would settle them down. 

        "Back to your seats. _Now,"_ Ms. Martin states and slowly the students return to their seating. Once they are out of sight, Ms. Martin pulls out her phone and dials 911. 

        "I need the number of the CDC," she asks. "Yes, the Center for Disease Control."

 

_ BH Animal Clinic  _

        Deaton was unsure of what was happening on his medical table. Satomi had slipped out of the shadows with a severely sick werewolf and had appeared to him and only him. She was hoping to find help and Deaton was more than willing to aid her in her current situation. Except, Deaton didn't really know where to start with the case before him. 

        "How does it begin?" he asks her trying to make sense of the symptoms before him.

        "With fever," Satomi responds. "Then shifting becomes uncontrollable. Fangs, claws, even full, unwarranted transformations. We moved into the woods when that began. Then it progressed faster and faster. They couldn't stand. But worse than that was this sudden blindness." 

        Deaton perks up at the last fact and immediately pulls out his pen-flashlight. 

        "Total?" he asks examining the werewolf's eyes noticing the pupil was no longer there and had been diluted into white.

        "They couldn't see a thing," Satomi answers. "From there, they had only a few minutes left."

        Deaton knows that this if far beyond him at this point. 

        "I'm going to be honest, Satomi," he sighs out. "We need to get him to a hospital."

        Satomi grimaces at the conclusion the veterinarian has come to. 

        "That's never really been an option for our kind," Satomi responds. "Unless you know something I don't."

        "Not something, but _someone_." 

******

Diana's POV,  _BH Hospital_

        Derek's hand is warm in mine. An anchor to the incessant worried thoughts that continued to wander through my mind as I watch Braeden sleep post-surgery. The surgeon had stated that the wound had gone through no vital organs and it was the blood loss that had made her case critical. Melissa then translated this to her having to rest for a period of time in order to see any form of improvement. 

        The color had returned to her face and I was relieved to hear that she'll be fine in a couple of days. Derek had tried to talk me out of of my new set mission that involved him, but I didn't want to hear it. Mercenaries are fickle and the few I knew that could be trusted were people I cared about too much to put them in danger. I didn't want to put any other person in the line of fire which is why I had to carry this burden now. 

        The door of Braeden's room swings open and Melissa walks in with a concentred look on her face and an injection in her hand. I sit up at the sight of her awaiting for an update but she beelined towards Braeden without much of a word. 

        "What's that?" I ask her as she injects the drug inside Braeden's IV bag. 

        "Naloxone," Melissa responds. "We need to wake her up."

        "I thought you said she needed to rest," I state as I rise from my seat in alarm.

        "That was before I found out the CDC just put the high school under quarantine with Scott and Stiles still in there," Melissa explains.

        Derek and I share a look of concern before a loud gasp is heard from the bed. Braeden instantly sits up from the bed and looks around the hospital in alarm. 

        "Braeden, look at me," Melissa calls out to her trying to calm her. "You were shot, but you're in the hospital now and you're fine. Do you understand?"

        Braeden glances up at me and I give her an affirmative nod. This seems to ease her under Melissa's attention and she offers the nurse a nod. 

        "Good, ok last night you were in the woods and you came across another pack?" Melissa questions. "Do you know what happened to them?"

        "We told you, they were poisoned," Derek states.

        "No," Braeden interrupts in shock. "No, they were _infected_. It was a virus designed to kill werewolves."

        My hold in Derek's hand tightens at the sound of this and I knew he was sharing the sense of fear at what Braeden was telling us. 

        "And it did..." Braeden whispers in horror. "It killed them all." 

*****

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills HS_

        The CDC had immediately arrived at the school and set up for contamination control. No one was allowed inside the school and no one was allowed out. Plastic screens and people in yellow hazmat suits roamed between the group of students that were contaminated with this strange disease that had never been seen before. 

        Scott was certain his werewolf ability would make him immune but it seems to have the opposite effect as he locked himself into the locker room sensing himself shift involuntarily. 

        "Scott? You've been in there a long time, you all right?" Ms. Martin called out from the door. "Hey, you need to come back with the others."

        The knocking persisted and Scott's head was pounding with each pound she made. Sweat was dripping down his neck as he tried to fight against the shift but it wasn't working and Scott was slowly losing his mind into the wolf. 

        Per the request of a concerned Ms. Martin, Mr. Yukimura makes his way into the locker room. He's silent in his approach as he turns into the row of lockers and finds a shaking Scott. 

        Red eyes and fangs had extended from the young Alpha and Mr. Yukimura's suspicions to this whole event grow to be true. 

        "Get Stiles," Scott groans out to him. 

        Mr. Yukimura did as told and brought everyone involved into the privacy of the locker room. They all stood in a circle anticipating the best of the situation as they watched Scott try to reign in his shift. His eyes flickered to their regular brown but the Alpha red had come back soon after. 

        "It's still happening," Kira's dad tells him with a heavy sigh.

        All of their focus turns to Malia whose symptoms were starting to reveal themselves too in the matter of her extended claws. 

        "I can't make them go back," she states unhappily.

        "Obviously the virus is affecting the two of you in a way it won't hit any human being," Mr. Yukimura makes them aware of.

        "You guys have to stay out of sight," Stiles explains to them. "We have to quarantine you from the quarantine."

        "Yeah, but where?" Kira asks in concern. "I mean, what if they get violent? Like on a full moon."

        "We shouldn't stay in here," Scott groans out. "Not in the locker room."

        "A classroom is not going to hold us," Malia pipes in.

        "What about the basement?" Kira offers up.

        "Too many ways out," Scott tells her. "We need something secure. Somewhere nobody can find us."

        "The vault," Stiles states recalling the new location on campus. "The _Hale_ vault."

        Scott nods at this as he thinks it through, "The Hales always have an escape route. Like their house. There has to be another way in."

        Stiles is quick to find the blueprints of the school and brings it back to the locker room for everyone to see. 

        "This is where the school sign is, so the vault's got to be right about here," Stiles points out in the map.

         Mr Yukimura looks at the spot that Stiles had shown him and makes an educated guess to the second entrance.

        "I suppose if there's a second entrance, it would probably be accessible from the basement." 

        "It's probably somewhere in this hallway," Stiles confirms. "West corridor."

        Stiles immediately falters in his balance and barely manages to catch himself. Mr. Yukimura notices the sweaty complexion he was sporting and immediately finds the rash that is growing up his arm.

        "It's happening to you too," he states. "You're getting sick. You all are."

        "I don't feel sick," Kira tells her father.

        "I think it's affecting you differently, _neurologically,_ " her father explains to her as he pulled out some paperwork he had managed to retrieve. "I found your test answers here in a pile with the others."

        Kira takes the answer sheet her father had offered and notices that her answers weren't filled up in the assigned bubbles but on the blank space beside it.

        Seeing that none of them had been avoided in this assassination attempt, the need to  quarantine themselves from the others became more urgent.

        Stiles led them down to the basement in search of the Hale vault's second entrance. Mr. Yukimura stayed upstairs in order to run interference in case someone came to search for them.

        "Hey, guys..." Stiles calls out after his search led him to an important clue. "Over here."

        Everyone followed after Stiles as he moved a shelf out of the way to reveal a very familiar insignia.

        "Look at the cracks in the wall," Stiles points out the triskelion carved into the wall. In the middle was the dial that could only be turned by a Hale. "It's like the entrance outside, it only opens with claws."

        Stiles knew that Malia had no idea who her true father was and he had no intention to reveal that bit of information at this time where they were all infected.

        "Anyone's claws, right?" Stiles prompts hoping Scott will receive the message.

        Scott nods in affirmation and turns to Malia, "Um... Malia, can you try?"

        "Why me?" Malia asks in confusion. 

        "I don't have control," Scott answers revealing that his hands were still in human form.

        "Okay, I'll do it..." Malia mutters as she steps up to the dial before she pauses and turns to face them once more. "But first tell me what you've been hiding from me."

        Stiles and Scott share a nervous look stammering incoherent strings of words. 

        "I know you think you're trying to protect me, but I can handle it," Malia states. "...I know I'm on the list."

        "Yes..." Stiles sighs out relieved they dodge the bullet.

        "So how much?" Malia asks. 

        "How much what?" Stiles asks confused.

        "How much am I worth?" 

        "Four million," Scott tells her.

        Malia nods at this answer and remains silent.

        "Are you okay?" Stiles asks concerned. 

        "Yeah," Malia answers with a shrug. "Scott's worth 25, Diana's worth 24, and Kira is 6. They'll take you guys out way before me." 

        Stiles is once again shocked by the answer and turns to his friends with a sigh, "That's progress. That's progress."

        With that settled, Malia turns to the dial on the wall and inserts her claws. The dial glows purple and Malia's claws turn to the correct combination before the stone scrapes open. 

        All of them take a deep breath before making their way inside. The vault door seals closed and the wait for this disease to pass begins now. 

  
_ BH Hospital _

        Deaton and Satomi had managed to sneak in the increasingly sick werewolf through the hospital and into Melissa's care. The knowing nurse was struggling to keep the patient onto the gurney as he continued to thrash against the illness that had taken a heavy toll on him. 

        "Okay," Melissa calls out in concern. "This isn't happening at the school, is it?"

        "School?" Deaton asks confused. "It's Saturday."

        "They're taking the PSAT's," Melissa explains.

        Black blood starts to spill out from his lips and Satomi's urgency grows.

        "I think we need to hurry."

        They roll the gurney into the elevator and Melissa is pressing the button for the surgical floor. The elevator closes it's door but time runs out once they're sealed in as the ill werewolf gasps it's final breath before life slips out of him. 

        Silence fills the elevator as Satomi lets out a shocked gasp. Melissa closes her eyes in solidarity while Deaton offers Satomi a grieving nod. 

******

Diana's POV,  _BH Hospital_

        Derek offered me a small encouraging smile as he handed me the bag I asked him to pack up for me. I let out a sigh and lean my forehead into his shoulder knowing what was about to occur next. His hands brush warmly against my arms and I smile at the gentle comfort he's providing. 

        I finally find the will to pull away from him and let out another sigh before making my way into Braeden's room. Her eyes were closed, chest rising slowly, offering the illusion that Braeden was asleep once more, but I could tell from the way her eyes flickered under her eyelids that she was very much awake. 

        I took a seat on the edge of her bed and cleared my throat. Braeden's eyes quickly flicker open and she immediately scans the room seeming relieved to only find me there. 

        "What are you still doing here?" she asks me. "And where's your angry boyfriend?"

        "I told him step out for a minute," I answer with a small smile hoping she wouldn't see through it. "I wanted to talk to you in private."

        Braeden's playful grin catches me by surprise seeing as a few hours ago she was as pale as a ghost.

        "Finally ready to ditch him and run away with me?" Braeden asks with a chuckle. 

        I couldn't help the laugh that escapes my throat, "No, it's not about that I'm afraid."

        "Then what is it?" Braeden responds as her eyes narrow at me. 

        There were no words I could string together so I simply allowed the act itself to speak on its own. I lift the leather bag onto the bed and push it towards Braeden for her to take. She immediately opens it and finds a change of clothes with a pile of stacked money under it.

        "You'll find your full payment in there," I explain to her questioning gaze. "And a little extra for the trouble." 

        "My job here isn't done," Braeden answers as she shoves the bag towards me. "I haven't gotten the answer you're looking for." 

        "To me, you're done," I claim as I rise from the bed and turn away from her.  

        Braeden's confidence withers away at my words and flash of hurt flickers on her face. 

        "I know I failed on the timeline provided but I still have sources to talk to," Braeden attempts to argue. "Getting hurt wasn't in the agenda, it never is, but I can still do this. Let me make it up to you."

        "You've done enough for me, Braeden," I state. "If I asked you to deliver the moon, you would find a way to do it, with no questions asked. You love me that much and because I love you too, I have to let you go. I've asked you for many favors, but this one was too much. This one could kill you."

        The tears that had risen to my eyes seem enough to calm Braeden down from fighting against my decision. I knew she wouldn't like it and I knew that once she left that she would persist in her own self-imposed mission to find the answer herself. 

        "There's a red Mustang parked in the nearby lot," I tell her. "The windows are rolled down and the alarm system is off. Easy picking if you ask me." 

        Braeden lets out a sigh and shakes her head, "I hate leaving you like this." 

        "I'll rather see you leave alive than in a body bag," I answer with a solemn smile. I start to make my way to the door but Braeden is quick to stop me. 

        "There's someone you should give a call to," Braeden states with an unreadable expression. "Someone I've been avoiding for personal reasons of my own, but should have the answers you're looking for." 

        "Who?" I ask as I watch Braeden pick up a pad of paper and a pen beside her bed. She quickly scribbles down a set of numbers with a name on top of it. She slides the notepad towards me and I couldn't help but sigh at the name written.

        "Here's his new number," Braeden answers. "Have fun dealing with him." 

        I fold the slip of paper and slip it into the pocket of my jeans. Without having anything else to share, I turn to Braeden to bid her our last goodbye. 

        "Until we meet again, Braiden." 

        "Until then." 

******

Third POV, _Beacon Hills HS_

        The young members of the pack were scattered across the vault trying to survive the symptoms until a miracle cure came across their way. Kira couldn't stop pacing across the room in frustration and Scott's head hung low as he tried to fight off the fever. Malia was in the same state and laid asleep in Stiles' arms as she tried to fight off the illness. 

        "You know, this is where it all started," Stiles states as he nodded towards the safe located in the middle of the room. "That's where the money was... _117 million_ in bearer bonds."

        "How do you even change bearer bonds into cash?" Kira asks as she glanced around the shelves lined up in the room and took notice of the familiar herb sealed in a jar. 

        "Bank, I guess," Stiles mutters with a shrug. "They just let it sit here the whole time collecting dust. You know bearer bonds are basically extinct?"

        "Why does it matter?" Kira asks as she stops inspecting the shelves and finally takes a seat. 

        "You know how many problems that money could solve?" Stiles remarks.

        "For you?"

        "Me, my dad... The Eichen House and MRI bills are crushing him," Stiles responds unhappily.

        Scott nods at this and understands where Stiles is coming from, "Mom does this thing, she writes down all the items in our budget, and how much they cost, then she adds them all up and figures out how long we have until... We lose the house." 

        A silence was met at this response and they all receded into their minds trying to contemplate the entirety of their situation. Scott moves to the newfound entrance and tries to focus on his hearing to find any source of update. 

        "Anything?" Stiles asks as he joins him.

        "They're looking for us," Scott answers as he pulled away from the sealed door with a concerned scowl. "Someone's going to have to go out there."

        Scott and Stiles turned away from the sealed door as they heard the heavy panting coming from a worsening Malia. Kira had Malia's head on her lap as she tried to keep her comfortable as the fever grew worse. 

        "We need to tell her the truth about Peter," Scott mutters under his breath as he watched Malia from afar. She was shivering due to the fever's effect. "She's going to see the rest of the dead pool eventually."

        "Try to remember that Peter is the one name missing on that list," Stiles reminds Scott. "Which either makes him incredibly lucky with the Benefactor, if she finds out about him she's going to go to him, you know she is. And then he's going to twist his way into her head like he does with everyone. _Including us_. We let him walk around like nothing ever happened, like he's one of the good guys... Scott, he's not one of the good guys. If she finds out about him, she's gone. That's probably what he's waiting for and if he wins, we lose."

        Scott lets out a sigh noticing everyone's sickening state, "We're already losing." 

*******

Diana's POV,  _BH Hospital_

        I hear the doors slide open behind me with heavy foot steps joining it. I allow the small smile on my lips as I welcome the scent of pine and cinnamon to evade my senses and remind me of a home we haven't been to in a long time. I let out a relieved sigh as his arms wrap around my waist and pulls me into his chest. 

        "Did she leave already?" Derek voice vibrates beside my ear. 

        I hum in response and continue to stare down the empty lot in front of us. 

        "Are you ok?" 

        "Yeah..." I whisper with a hesitant nod. "Just hate watching people leave. I wish they'll stop." 

        "But you know it's for the best," Derek reminds me. "You wanted her safe and this is the only way she can be." 

        "I know," I sigh out. "But it doesn't make me feel any better." 

        Derek becomes silent at this and I kick myself for bringing him down to my depths of despair. I tilt my head to the side and press a short kiss on his jaw before burying my face into his neck. Derek hums at my closeness and I watch his eyes close at our current proximity.

        "There you guys are!" 

        Derek and I are startled by the sudden voice that belonged to Melissa McCall. She walks out of the hospital doors and waves us back inside ignoring that she had currently ruined a perfectly romantic moment. 

        With reluctance, Derek and I pull away from each other and follow Melissa into the hospital. There was no reason for us to be here anymore but Melissa continued to assure us that there was and so we followed her through the halls of the hospital until we found ourselves in the basement. 

        "Derek, Diana... I think there's someone here you've been trying to find." 

        Out of the shadows, an elderly woman steps out with a small smile. Derek seems startled by her appearance while I was trying to piece together who the woman in front of me could be. 

        "Satomi..." Derek whispers as a smile fluttered onto his face. 

        "I've heard you've been looking for me, Derek," Satomi responds with a smile of her own.

        "We were," Derek answers in relief. I could see that he had many questions to ask the elder Alpha but she had her own situation to handle, one that pertained all of us. 

        "Come," Satomi motions us through the morgue's doors. Derek and I follow after Satomi and Melissa to find Deaton inspecting a dead werewolf's body in front of him. The top half of his skull had been removed in which Deaton's answer to the ongoing infection epidemic is revealed to him.

        "It's a variant of canine distemper," Deaton explains to all of us. "A few years ago, an outbreak in Yellowstone killed 40% of the wolf population."

        "What's it going to do to our wolf population?" Melissa asks in concern. 

        "Well, it's been altered to infect quite a bit faster," Deaton explains.

        "You mean it's been weaponized?" Derek asks in surprise. 

        "It infected my whole pack," Satomi tells us.

        "Everyone except for you..." I point out as I turn to her. 

        "That's the real question," Deaton agrees as he looked to Satomi for an answer. "Did you not get infected? Or are you immune?" 

******  

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills HS_

        Stiles knew he was the only one capable to go upstairs and reduce the suspicion of the pack's disappearance. He was the only one who wasn't suffering the effects as badly as everyone else and it confirmed what he was dreading to admit this whole time. Having no other choice but to go upstairs in hopes of finding someway to stop this, Stiles makes his way to Malia to explain what was going on. 

        "Malia... Malia," he calls out to her as her eyes fluttered tiredly.

        "Mmm," Malia hums as she recognizes Stiles' voice.

        "I gotta leave for a few, okay?" Stiles tells her. 

        This catches her attention and Malia turns to look at him in concern, "Where are you going?"

        "Whatever's happening, it's worse for you guys," Stiles explains to her. "That means it's not just people getting sick, it's another assassin."

        Malia nods at this but can't help the shiver that runs down her body. 

        "Here," Stiles tells her as he takes his jacket off and hands it to her.

        "You're coming back, right?" Malia asks him as she embraces herself in the warmth provided. 

        "Yeah," Stiles promises her as he placed a quick kiss to her forehead. "Yeah, I'd never leave you behind." 

        Forcing himself away, Stiles makes his way to the vault door and makes his way back to the school basement. The vault door closes behind him and Stiles' last sight is of Malia shivering once more.

        With determination, Stiles makes his way upstairs searching for some answers. He makes his way back to the main clinic that is isolating everyone who's been infected. Ms Martin quickly takes notice of Stiles' pale complexion and makes her way towards him.

        "Stiles, you're not looking so good, maybe you ought to lie down?" 

        "It's okay," Stiles mumbles as he looks around the room. "Have you seen Mr. Yukimura?" 

        "Yeah, he's fine, he's helping the other students," Ms. Martin explains to him.

        "Okay..." Stiles sighs out as he begins to make an exit. His eyes glances over the cots and he immediately takes notice of one particular difference. "Is Coach the only adult who got sick today?"

        "As far as I know," Ms. Martin answers.

        "Why is he..." Stiles begins to ask but stumbles in his step.

        "Stiles?" Ms. Martin asks him in concern as she helps him stabilize in his stance. "I think you should lie down."

        "Yeah, no, it's okay," Stiles mumbles back as he pulls away from her hold. "I'll be back, I'll be right back." 

        Stiles stumbles out of the isolation clinic and makes his way down the hallway. He manages to find Coach's office and starts to inspect the scene itself. Everything seemed to be in it's normal place and Stiles lets out a sigh at his dead end. He drops into the desk chair and looks down at the paperwork scattered across the desk. 

        Immediately, Stiles starts to page through them and finds the anomaly amongst the evidence in front of him. The red stamp he used on his paperwork was then replaced with black ink. Stiles' gaze then shifts to the mug in front of him with Coach's black thumbprint scattered around the mugs rim. He can't help but remember the black ink used to imprint their thumbprint on their test from earlier that day. 

        "I was wondering how that idiot got sick..." 

        Stiles stumbles in shock and drops the mug onto the floor from the new voice coming through office. He looks up to find the test proctor blocking his exit while he slipped the silence onto his pistol. "I'm also wondering where your friends are. Since in order to get paid by the Benefactor, I need to have proof they're dead."

        "Visual confirmation," Stiles mutters nervously.

        "Exactly," Simon, the Chemist, responds with a grin.

Diana's POV,  _BH Hospital_

        Deaton covers the passed werewolf with a sheet after having the answers to all of our questions. Derek and I shared a look of concern as we still tried to make sense of what we saw at the woods. Shotgun shells had been found on both scenes and Braeden had the wound to prove that someone had succeeded in their shootout attempt.

        "If your pack was infected, then who was doing all the shooting at the entrance to the woods?" Derek asks Satomi.

        "Apparently another assassin," Satomi answers with an uncertain shrug. "Personally, I'd rather face a gun than a variant of smallpox."

        "Sounds like you're going to get plenty of chances," Melissa sighs out.

        The room falls into a silence and I feel Derek stiffen suddenly which doesn't seem to pass Satomi's attention.

        "Sorry," she apologizes to him. "I just noticed how much you remind me of Talia."

        At this, Derek seems to relax and I offer him a gentle squeeze at our intertwined hands as a small smile flickered on his lips at the compliment. 

        "I used to visit her a lot, you know," Satomi continues with a fond smile. "Do you remember me?"

        "I remember the tea," Derek answers. "You always brought that tea that smelled terrible."

        "Derek," I whisper harshly. "You can't say that." 

        Satomi's eyes find me and I can't help but tense under her focus. It wasn't hard to tell from the short conversation that Satomi's and Derek's relationship was one of the few remaining from his younger years. 

        "I don't believe we've been properly introduced," Satomi states with a calculating gaze. 

        "This is my mate, Diana Cruz," Derek tells her as he motions me forward. 

        The title of mate causes Satomi to react rightfully surprise but the smile that her lips wore showed she was not displeased by the news. 

        "It's nice to finally meet you," I tell her as I shake her hand. "Derek's told me a lot about you and I admire the strength you have for going what you went through." 

       "I can say the same," Satomi states as her face became unreadable. "The hunter turned she-wolf must have faced many trials to become the person she is today." 

        I tense up at her response unsure of what she meant between the words she've said. Was she pleased or displeased at my history? I would understand if she wasn't. Many wolves would hate me for what I did in my past life, but Satomi was a part of Derek's history and I knew her opinion was important. 

        "You and I are cut from the same cloth, Diana," Satomi states after awhile with a smile forming on her lips that reached her eyes. She then turned to Derek with an approving nod, "You picked a good one to stand at your side." 

        Satomi's smile remains and offers a shake of her head, "As for that awful smelling tea you mentioned, I brought it as a gift. Your mother loved it."

        Deaton overhearing the whole conversation steps in, "What kind of tea?"

        "What?" Satomi asks. 

        "The tea with the smell," Deaton clarifies with a deep look in his eyes. "What kind was it?"

        "Reishi," Satomi answers. "Wild purple reishi. It's very rare."

        "It's also a very powerful remedy for sickness," Deaton explains. "Satomi, you didn't get infected because you've been inoculated."

        "Okay, okay. How rare is it?" Melissa asks impatiently. "Can we find it?"

        "We don't have to," Derek tells them. "My mother kept some of it. It's in our vault." 

        Hearing this, Derek and I immediately make our way out of the morgue with Satomi following closely after us. 

        "We have to get to the school," Derek states. 

        "What about the others at Lookout Point?" Satomi asks us. 

        Suddenly, the elevator doors open in front of us with a woman raising up her pistol ready to pull the trigger. Derek is quick to shove Satomi and I behind us as the first shot is made. I instantly follow his dropped body while Satomi pulls out her steel pipe and manages to deflect the incoming shower of bullets. Satomi makes her way to the hunter without receiving a shot and drives the pipe into the hunter's throat. 

        I help Derek from the ground and Deaton and Melissa step out of the morgue to see what was going on only to find the dead body bleeding out on the floor. We look up from the ground in sheer amazement as Satomi spins the steel pipe in her hand before tucking it into her pocket once more. 

        "I may have learned to control my anger, but I still know when to use it." 

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills HS_

        Malia continues to pant and shiver as the infection continued to take a hold of her body. She buried herself deeper into Stiles' jacket, her hands digging into his pockets, until a crinkle of a tucked note catches her attention. Malia immediately pulls the note out of the pocket and sits up as she notices that it must be the last deadpool list. 

        Scott immediately notices the change in Malia's posture and the note in her hand that she was currently unfolding. 

        "Malia..." Scott calls out to her, afraid that she'll notice the _Hale_ name attached to hers. "Malia?"

        Malia unfolds the note and begins to panic immediately.

        "...I can't see," Malia exclaims as she looks up from her hands. "I can't see anything!" 

        Scott wants to go and help her but his vision begins to fail him too. He stretches his hand out before him and watches as his fingers blur together before disappearing into blackness. 

        "What's happening to us?" Malia exclaims. 

        Scott tumbles against the nearby shelf as he tries to remain upright as his vision continues to fade in and out.  

        "Scott?" Kira begins to call out to him in fear. "I can't... I can't see..."

        As this occurred, Stiles is shoved into the boys locker room as Simon kept the silenced pistol aimed at his back. Stiles manages to remain upright as his fever and disorientation were still taking a hold of him. 

        "Still a bit feverish, Mr. Stilinski," Simon points out. "But you should know something, the virus doesn't kill humans, you'll get better. So don't you think you should tell me where they are? Shouldn't one of you get to live?"

        Stiles turns to face the assassin with a nod, "I think I saw them in the library. Or it might've been the cafeteria. It was definitely one of those two."

        Simon lets out a sigh seeing as the human was only pressing for the inevitable.

        "I'm going to count to three, and then I'm going to kill you," Simon states as he raises the gun to Stiles' forehead.

        "Think you can scare me?" Stiles asks with a nervous chuckle as he stepped forwards and pressed his forehead against the gun. 

        "No, I think I can kill you," Simon states not affected by Stiles' approach. "I just thought the countdown would make it more exciting. So... One... Two..."

        A gun is fired and Stiles feels the blood splatter across his face. He opens his eyes, finding himself surprised at the ability, only to see Agent McCall pulling his hazmat suit off and tucking his gun away.

        "Where the hell did you come from?" Stiles exclaims. 

        "Stiles, listen. I got a call from Melissa," Agent McCall urgently responds. "I don't know what it means. She said there's an antidote. It's in a vault, reishi mushrooms."

        "Wait, what in a vault?" Stiles asks confused. 

        "It's in a jar on one of the shelves," McCall explains to him. "She said to tell Scott, it's in the vault." 

        It all makes sense once Stiles recovered from the shock. The hail mary they were all looking for came in the form of a confused Agent McCall but Stiles ran with it anyways. 

        He sprints down to the basement and starts to slam against the closed vault door. 

        "Hey, Scott? Scotty?" Stiles calls out. "In the vault, in there with you. It's called reishi mushrooms."

        Stiles hears no response and slams harder against the vault door. 

        "Scott? Scott, open the door! It's in there with you. It's in a jar, it's on one of the shelves. Scott! Scott, can you hear me?"

        Kira recognizes what Stiles is yelling through the door. She had been eyeing the jar earlier when she was looking through the items on the shelf.

        "Reishi... Scott, I saw it," Kira states as she tried to crawl through the vault in search of Scott. "In a jar on one of the shelves." 

        Scott lays out on the ground as the infection took a hold of whatever strength he had. Kira's voice rings in his ears while the beating of his own heart slows. 

        " _Reishi_... _shelves..._ " 

        Scott slowly stumbles to his feet, reclining on the wall heavily, as his breaths became shorter and faster. His vision was completely gone but whatever strength he could muster was forced to pull out the red in his eyes that made him a True Alpha. 

        His eyes find the essence of the reishi on the shelves and Scott stumbles towards it. His feet get caught together and he barely manages to catch himself on the shelves. His vision fades out and Scott drops to the ground managing to move the shelves enough to cause the purple reishi jar to fall with him. 

        The jar breaks open and the powder from the purple reishi immediately spreads across the room. It took one heavy inhale to feel the starting effects that the reishi had to all of them. The infection in their bodies disappearing as their bodies began to mend themselves. 

        The vault doors open and Scott stumbles out with heavy panting. Stiles sighs in relief at the sight of him knowing that his message did get through. 

        Scott manages to stand back up on his own and goes back into the vault to help Kira out. Stiles immediately jogs inside and makes his way to Malia with a relieved smile on his face seeing her improvement too. 

        "Hey, Malia?" Stiles calls out to her. 

        Malia doesn't look up at him and instead keeps her gaze glued to the floor. 

        "You alright?" Stiles asks as concern flickered in him. 

        Malia's eyes glance up at him, relieving Stiles for a short moment, before she removes the jacket from her body and drops it to the ground. She stands up on her own and walks out of the vault without a word. 

        Stiles watches her leave and turns to Scott with a questioning gaze only to find that he was confused as well by her silent actions. Stiles looks back down and finds the discarded paper on the ground. He unfolds it and finds the source of Malia's sudden scorn and the root to all his fears. 

         _Malia Hale 4_


	14. Time of Death

Third POV, _McCall Residence_

        "Is three enough?" Kira asks the group as they placed three laptops on the kitchen table. Stiles merely shrugs at the question not knowing the answer to it. 

        "Depends on how many cameras they have," Stiles explains to her. "But I think so."

        "Are we really doing this?" Liam sighs out. 

        "We're doing it," Scott confirms. "Tonight."

        "But isn't it kind of dangerous?" Liam asks. He was new to all of this and was unsure why they had even called him in if it was such an important mission. But then again, there was strength in numbers and a lot Liam had to learn. 

        "It's incredibly dangerous," Stiles tells the young Beta. "And borderline idiotic."

        "Have you guys done something like this before?" Liam asks them. 

        "Something dangerous? Or something idiotic?" Stiles asks for clarification.

        Liam seems overwhelmed by the simple questions and Kira offers him a reassuring smile.

        "I think it's a yes to both." 

        "You don't have to be part of it if you don't want to," Scott reminds him. 

        "I'm not scared," Liam tells Scott.

        Stiles lets out a sigh as he heard this, "Then you're borderline idiotic. If we do this, we don't know what's coming for us. You know that, right?" 

        Liam isn't deterred by Stiles' warning, but Kira begins to have her own doubts. 

        "How do we even know something's definitely coming?" she asks. 

        "Because the tape from Garrett's bag said visual confirmation required," Scott explains. 

        "Simon said the same thing," Stiles points out as he remembered the whole school situation. "He couldn't get paid by The Benefactor until he had proof that you guys were dead."

        "So the idea is, what if you kill someone on the dead pool, but you can't send the proof?" Scott states offering up the hypothetical. 

        "You don't get paid," Kira concludes. 

        "But how does that get us any closer to The Benefactor?" Liam asks confused once more. 

        "He still needs to know if the target is really dead," Scott tells them. 

        "Especially if it's someone high on the list," Stiles includes glancing over at Scott.

        "So, if he wants visual confirmation..." 

        "He's going to have to come get it himself," Scott explains.

_BH Hospital_

        It was chaos. 

        It was chaos because there was no proper protocol on the situation at hand. 

        Doctors and nurses were frantic as the ambulance made an abrupt stop at the entrance and rolled the gurney inside. 

         _"Dr. Garner, Dr. Garner to the ER._ _"_

        The newly joined Dr. Garner sprinted across the hospital to reach the incoming patient. He had heard rumors going around him and refused to believe what he head heard. 

        "Move, move, move!"

        "We need ECG."

        "He's flat-lining..."

        Doctor Garner makes it there and focuses on keeping the boy alive. An excess of tubes, needles, and wires were protruding from the body that was barely breathing. 

        "Get him to trauma 2," Dr. Garner instructs as he jogged beside the gurney and tried to make an assessment. "Start another IV."

        One of the nurses wheels in the defibrillator and Dr.Garner noticing the lack of a heartbeat prioritizes on getting him back before helping him with everything else.

        "Clear!"

        All hands remove from the body and Dr.Garner places the pads on his chest. A shock of electricity courses to the body but nothing comes of it.

        "Still asystole," Dr. Garner sighs out. "Continue chest compressions and charge to 360."

        The machine is reset and once they're ready Dr. Garner brings out the pads. 

        "Clear!"

        The shock is stronger now but the heart does not restart.

        "Nothing," Dr. Garner grits out. "Still asystole." 

        The monitor continues to beep as the heart flat-lined. Dr. Garner knew there wasn't much to do from this moment. His heart refused to restart and a lot of time had passed by since he first flatlined. 

        "I'm calling it," Dr. Garner states grimacing at the statement. "Time of death 2102 hours." 

        There was a moment of silence as he said this and no one on staff spoke up unsure of what they were supposed to do at the moment. 

        "Would someone please page Melissa McCall?" 

        It didn't take long for someone to find her and it wasn't much long after that when a loud grieving wailing echoed through the hospital walls. 

        _"What happened to my son?"_

******

Diana's POV, _The Loft_

        _A bright light slips through the sheer white veil over my face. I'm quick to remove the material away and take notice of the people rising from their seats at the sight of me. Someone places a bouquet into my hands and I take notice of the rose petals scattered throughout the aisle in front of me. I follow the trail with my eyes and find that it ends with black dress shoes. Those same black dress shoes are paired with a black tuxedo and worn by the man I love the most, Derek Hale._

_His smile is the most radiant thing in the room and as my eyes settle to his bright green ones everything clicks into place._

_The veil. The rose petals. The bouquet in my hands._

_I look down and find a lace wedding gown adorning my body and I can't help but laugh at the sight. The bride ballad is immediately played and I find myself calmly walking down the aisle to meet with Derek. His smile seems to grow with every step I take, but I never do reach the altar._

_A gunshot rings through the air and I watch Derek's bright eyes fill with pain. His hands clutch his side as blood continues to pour from the wound and slip past his fingers._

_No one moves to help him and I panic as I see Derek drop to his knees. His eyes pleading up to me._

_"Why?"_

_The question strikes me deeply as his eyes continue to burn through me._

_"Why, Diana? Why did you do it?"_

_I look around searching for help amongst the guests but their eyes are glued to me. Scott, Stiles, Malia, Kira, Isaac... They all watch me, asking the same question that Derek was asking._

_"Why did you do it? Why Diana?"_

_I feel hands wrap around my body keeping me from running away._

_"Try again, sweetheart. Aim for his heart like I did once upon a time."_

_I look to my left to find Kate's taunting face as she held me in place. Her claws digging through the dress and latching onto my skin._

_"Need help?"_

_A deep voice echoes to my right, one I hadn't expected to hear._

_"Just aim, ok? I'll do the rest."_

_Marcos' hand wraps around my right wrist and forces upward. The bouquet I was once holding is now a gun and my finger was on the trigger._

_"Aim for his heart."_

_"Come on DiDi, I'll pull the trigger. Trust me."_

_"Heart, Diana. His heart."_

_"He's in pain. Put him out of his misery. Come on, I'll help you. That's what a big brother does."_

_"Pull the trigger! Kill him already!"_

 

        I wake up immediately reaching for the body that should be right next to mine only to find the spot empty and cold. I brush the loose strands away from my face and wonder where Derek could possibly be. I quietly slip out of bed as I catch the sound of his heartbeat coming from downstairs. 

        I make a silent approach downstairs scanning every inch of the loft and let out a relieved sigh as my eyes catch Derek's resting body on the couch. 

        He must have come down here to read and fallen asleep. I close my eyes and take a deep breath only to be overwhelmed by his scent that wrapped around me instantly. 

         _The smell of pine, cinnamon, and... blood._

My eyes immediately snap open and I make my way over to the couch searching his body for the source of the injury. My mind can't help but flicker back to my recent nightmare and the gunshot wound. I remember the shots fired at the hospital earlier that evening and immediately glance down at his torso. 

        My nightmare may have been some sort of projection from Derek's part as to the wound on his side, but Marcos and Kate's involvement of helping me shoot him were my own fears manifested in form. 

        How the two came to be joined together must be some effect of the Mate bond, but I didn't let my mind distract itself as I had my own suspicions to confirm at the moment.  

        I glance at his sleeping expression and made sure he was not conscious at all before slowly reaching for the end of his tank top and raising it up. Before I could get past his abdomen, his hands capture mine and I let out a surprised gasp as I look up and find his green eyes peering up at me. 

        "What are you doing?" Derek asks amused. 

        "You weren't in bed," I answered as I pulled my hands away from his. "When I came to look for you, I could smell blood." 

        "Hmm," Derek hums trying to undermine my response. He tries to bring down his tank top, but I stop him. With a sigh, Derek allows me to raise the soft material over his stomach and I find the source of the bleeding. 

        A gunshot wound on his side. 

        I bite my lip at the sight and I can't help but let the fears that had consumed me earlier return with full force. 

        "Why aren't you healing?" I whisper trying to contain my overwhelming emotions from taking control.

        Derek frowns at the sound of my voice and I knew that my fears were causing him pain too.

        "Some wounds take longer," Derek lies.

        "Yeah, if they come from an Alpha," I state, "This didn't come from one. This is a gunshot wound that should have healed _hours_ ago."

        Derek lets out another heavy sigh and closes his eyes. 

        "What's going on, Der?" I ask him. "What are you hiding from me?" 

        "I'm just tired," Derek mumbles under his breath as he turns his back on me.

        "Derek..." I call out to him as my throat tightened. I'm trying to push every emotion that was useless at the moment. "I had a dream that you were bleeding out from that wound on your side and I woke up to not find you there beside me. You didn't come to bed because you knew I would smell the blood on you and so you stayed down here trying to protect me or you, I don't know. And... and now you're lying and you're turning your back on me and I'm freaking out because I'm afraid and I'm afraid because you're afraid too so please just look at me!" 

        I could see how my words were affecting him as he tensed up visibly. 

        "Show me your eyes," I whisper.

        "You just saw them."

        "Show me your _real_ eyes, Derek."

        Derek lets out a sigh and having no other choice, he turns back to face me. He takes a deep breath and opens his eyes but nothing happens. His eyes remain their regular beautiful green. Any part of the wolf seemed to be gone.  

        "Okay," I state after I cleared my throat and compartmentalizing all my frayed emotions. I could feel myself steel away knowing I had to keep a clear head from this point forward. "Now, why don't you tell me everything. What's really going on, Derek?" 

******

Third POV, BH Hospital

_Liam watched as Scott made himself comfortable on his bed as things started to settle into place. He knew that whatever they were about to pull off was a shot in the dark with major risks. It didn't help that Scott was so calm about doing it._

_"Are you guys totally sure about this?"_

_"I think Liam's kind of nervous," Kira notes even though she felt the same. "Maybe you should tell him it's going to be all right."_

_"It's going to be all right," Scott assures even though his focus was primarily on Kira. She smiles down at him and lets out a a sigh._

_"So, you've done this before, right?" Liam asks to a waiting Mrs. Yukimura._

_"I've seen it done," she answers simply._

_"Is that just as good?" Liam follows up._

_"No."_

_"Mom, you're not inspiring confidence," Kira complains as she stares her mother down._

_"Good," Mrs. Yukimura responds. "This is a terrible idea."_

_"Do you want us to do it without you?" Kira offers up knowing well that her mother wouldn't allow that either._

_Mrs. Yukimura simply sighs at her daughter and looks down at Scott._

_"Put your hand over his heart," she instructs._

_Kira moves to do as she's told but Scott stops her._

_"Hold on," he calls out before turning to Kira's mom. "What happens while I'm out? Am I gonna feel anything?"_

_"It might feel like you're dreaming," Mrs. Yukimura tries to explain._

_"Good dreams or bad?" Scott asks her._

_"I suppose that depends on you."_

 

        Melissa made her way down to the morgue begging all the nurses and doctors for a moment alone with her son's body. She stood in front of the doors and took a deep breath before wiping away the stray tears that had remained on her face. Having no time to lose, Melissa made her way into the morgue and saw everyone waiting for her. 

        "I still hate this plan," Melissa comments as she made her way towards Scott's body in the metal tray. "I mean this is pretty significantly terrifyingly. He looks dead."

        "Give me your hand," Mrs. Yukimura states.

        Melissa is hesitant and turns to Stiles who nods at her in encouragement.

        "It's ok," Stiles comforts her.

        Melissa nervously offers her hand to Kira's mom and watches as she places her hand on Scott's chest. Melissa freaks out at not sensing anything and Mrs. Yukimura notices. 

        "Wait for it," she warns Melissa. 

        Melissa patiently waits and soon feels a slight thump under her palm before it disappears. She wonders if she imagined it but Mrs. Yukimura's growing smile proves that it was indeed real.

        "Is that enough to keep a werewolf alive?" Melissa asks in relief. 

        "Enough for an Alpha," Mrs. Yukimura answers as they both remove their hand from Scott's chest.

        "How much time do we have?" Melissa asks.

        "Forty-five minutes," Mrs. Yukimura tells her.

        "What happens after that?" Melissa asks nervously as her focus flickered from Mrs. Yukimura to Kira.

        "I bring him back the same way," Kira explains to her.

        "No, I mean what happens if he stays like this longer than forty-five minutes?"

        Everyone's eyes flicker to each other as a short silence filled the room. Mrs. Yukimura sighs at the silence and pities the Alpha's mother at her current predicament. 

        "No one's told her?" she asks. 

        Melissa's anxiety returns full force at the question and the avoiding stares from everyone. 

        "What?" she asks. "What happens after forty-five minutes?"

        No one from the pack dares to respond so the elder Kitsune takes upon the role. 

         _Mother to Mother._

        "He dies."

_Argent Weaponry Room_

        The black screen blinked with the white coded letters. The code had been placed and Chris Argent quickly recognized the margin that was being presented. 

         _Scott McCall Dead. Payment Requested._

Chris sends the message through the untraceable chat room created and stands back. Stiles, who had yet to stop fidgeting even though Chris requested him to, reads the line and scowls. 

        "That's your assassin speak?" Stiles remarks. 

        "I said he's dead," Chris points out. "What more do you want?"

        "It was a little dry," Stiles comments. "You could've said something like, " _Target has been neutralized. The crow flies at midnight_." That's always cool."

        Chris restrains himself from rolling his eyes and simply sighs. 

        "Hmm..." 

        The computer beeps at the incoming message and they both read the response. 

         _Visual Confirmation Needed._

Chris and Stiles both move to type a response and stop as they bump into each other. They both step back offering the other control of typing the response. Stiles ends up jumping to the opportunity offered while Chris dictates the message. 

        "Type this, " _Visual confirmation isn't possible. Police coming to claim body in forty minutes_ ," Chris states reading as Stiles sent every message with precision.

        The response received from the Benefactor was still the same

         _Visual Confirmation Required._

        Chris reading this decides to retaliate a little more harshly.

        "Tell him number one on the list is dead. I killed him. And if the wire transfer isn't completed in forty minutes..." 

        Seeing Stiles move too slow and the severity of the message that Chris wanted to send out, he nudges Stiles aside and types the message for himself. 

        _...I'm coming after you._

Diana's POV,  _The Loft_

        The first-aid kit was opened and being properly used for the first time since I've bought it. I place the large bandage on Derek's side and ignored the painful flinch he emitted. I wonder how long he's been in pain and why he thought it was a good idea to hide it from me. I shake the thoughts out of my head and simply allowed myself some relief in seeing that his wound was nothing serious just a very bad bleeder. 

        "It's just a graze," I explain to him. "But we have to keep an eye on it just to make sure it doesn't get infected." 

        Derek huffs at this and pulls a t-shirt over his head. He's been silent this whole time I was cleaning him up and I knew he was struggling to admit what we both knew was happening. I pull his chin towards me and could instantly feel how his eyes scanned my face. My eyes were focused on his lips waiting for him to say something, but he remains silent. 

         "That's probably something you've never had to worry about before, is it?" I find myself asking as my hands lightly graze his side before placing them on top of his strong beating heart. "So, it's everything then? No glowing eyes, no healing..." 

        "No hearing, speed, everything," Derek states.

        My eyes finally meet his and I let out a sigh. 

        "Strength?" I ask.

        "I can still win a fight," Derek chuckles out. 

        I couldn't help but smile for the first time this night and take a step away from him. 

        "Grab me." 

        Derek scowls at the request and immediately shakes his head. 

        "You still got your strength," Derek exclaims. "And years of training on top of that." 

        "Fine," I sigh out as I place one of my arms behind my back. "I'll do this with only one arm to defend me and... with my eyes closed." 

        Derek huffs at this and I close my eyes as I raised my one arm up against him. 

        "You ready?" 

        "Mmm-hmm," Derek hums. 

        "One, two..." I start to count down but I could immediately hear the way his steps resonated on the concrete ground. He was trying to attack from behind and I immediately send an elbow to his injured side before swiping my leg under his. A loud smack echoes through the loft that even blind-me knew that Derek had the air knocked out of him.

        "You cheated," Derek gasps out as I help him off the ground. He holds his side protectively and glares at me. "That's cheating..."

        "I won fair and square," I tell him. "When you're a human facing off against the supernatural, you need to become flexible with the rules of the game." 

        "The game?" Derek asks confused. 

        "Yes, Der, the game of life," I explain to him. "And I'm gonna teach you how to win." 

 

Third POV,  _BH Hospital_

        _Scott opens his eyes and finds himself in a dimly-lit school hallway with no one around. Out of nowhere a lacrosse ball is thrown his direction and Scott manages to catch it on time._

_"_ _Catch!" Liam exclaims from across the hallway geared up in his uniform. "That's why you're team captain."_

_Liam jogs out of the hall and Scott follows after him confused at his surroundings. He finds himself in the History classroom but Liam was no where in sight. Set upon the front desk was a single laptop with a blank screen. Scott pressed a key and immediately the screen is filled with a code._

_The keyword slot blinks and Scott is quick to type in the cypher that will unlock the list._

        **_SCOTT_**

**** _The code is decrypted and three names appear._

_**THE MUTE**_

_**THE ORPHANS** _

_**THE CHEMIST**_          

_"I can't do that," Scott states as he read the names. "I can't kill them."_

_"Someone has to," Liam answers as he stands next to him still geared up in his lacrosse uniform._

_"Why me?"_

_"Because you're the Alpha," Liam tells him._

_"I'm not a murderer," Scott argues._

_"But you are a predator," his Beta reminds him._

_"No," Scott answers. "We're predators... But we don't have to... We don't have to..."_

_Scott struggles to form the answer as something seemed to impede him from doing so. A boiling anger starts to grow within him and Scott immediately shuts the laptop close. He struggles to remain in control of himself but it doesn't help when he overhears a painful groan._

_Scott turns away from the laptop and finds The Mute picking off his hatchet from Liam's back. Liam is paralyzed on the ground and looks up at Scott with fear._

_"Scott!" Liam yells out in fear. "Scott, please! Scott, help me!"_

_Scott doesn't know what to do but he doesn't get the chance to even think of acting as the Mute turns to him and raises up his finger to silence him before he aims his hatchet on Liam once more._

_ Hale Vault _

        Malia made her way down the stairs of the Hale Vault desperate for some kind of answers. Ever since she found out one side of her story, she was desperate to learn more. She took in the dusted items placed on the shelves. There were many artifacts and pieces stored away and Malia wondered if there was any meaning in them. 

        She takes notice of the lack of dust in a particular section. She wonders if something had been taken, but there were discarded books nearby and Malia lets out a sigh as she notices that the books are written in an unrecognizable language.  

        Malia walks back to the center of the vault and glances over at the safe located at the far end. She inspects it momentarily before reaching for the handle and pulling it. The safe groans before releasing the door and revealing the contents inside. Malia sighs at the sight of the thin folder inside.

         _Malia Tate- Adoption Records_

Malia picks up the file and turns around to leave before she finds Peter blocking her way out with a questioning gaze set on her.

        "I've gotta buy a better safe."

        Peter quickly takes notice of the file in her hand and can't help the grin on his lips. He knew she would grow curious soon enough after the big reveal. 

        "I can't let you leave here with that."

        "Maybe you won't have a choice," Malia threatens as her eyes glow blue.

        "Is that right?" Peter chuckles out. 

        Malia sizes him up and recalls what Scott had told her before about Peter. 

        "I think I could take you."

        "You've heard rumors I'm not as strong as I used to be," Peter sighs out.

        "Something like that," Malia answers.

        Peter can't help the ever growing grin on his lips as he walks over to the nearby cement column. He immediately punches through it without much effort. 

        Malia lets out a sigh at the sight of this and offers the file back to him. 

        "I said you can't leave with it," Peter repeats. "I didn't say you couldn't read it." 

_ Martin Lake House _

        Lydia lights the gas lamp and glances over the items in the shed overlooking the lake. She sets the lamp aside and steps over the creaking planks that made up the floor looking for some sort of evidence that could help her unlock the key to reaching her power. The floor creaks once more and Lydia knows that someone had followed her in. She grabs the boat paddle nearby and swings it as she turns.

        "Oh, God!" 

        "Mom!" Lydia shouts as she drops the paddle. "What are you doing?"

        Ms. Martin shakes off the nearby blow as she offered her daughter a nervous smile. 

        "What are you doing?" Ms. Martin asks in response.

        "Nothing," Lydia sighs out before offering her a confused glance. "And how did you know I was here? Did you follow me?"

        "No," Ms. Martin chuckles out. "I'm getting ready for the Open House tomorrow." 

        "The Open House is next week," Lydia remarks with a narrowed gaze.

        Having been caught, Lydia's mom has no other choice but to tell the truth. 

        "Okay, I followed you," she admits. "Honey, you come up here every weekend, sometimes even during the week, and as far as I can tell, there's no boy involved, so I really have no clue what you're up to."

        "I'm trying to figure something out," Lydia tries to explain to her. "Something important. And honestly, Mom, you don't need to be involved in every single detail of my life."

        "I know," she sighs out. "But I'd like to help if I can." 

        Lydia's  defense resolves  at the sight of her mother's encouranging smile and pulls out the picture from the pocket of her skirt. 

        "Do you know her?" 

        Ms. Martin looks down at the black and white picture and her smile fades. 

        "Meredith Walker." 

        Lydia tilts her head questioning at her and her mother lets out a sigh. 

        "It's a long story," Ms. Martin warns her. 

        "We've got all night," Lydia answers making herself comfortable. "What happened?" 

        Ms. Martin takes a deep breath and knew that her daughter was too stubborn to let this go. Her mother was right though as the story was long and intense and it only made sense to  _her._

 _"_ This was the last thing your grandmother wrote down before she died," Ms. Martin states as she recalls the note left behind somewhere in the shed. It didn't take long for her to find it. "Don't even know why I kept it because it's basically nonsense."

        Lydia takes the folded note and looks over the content. 

        "Are you absolutely sure Grandma's dead?" 

        "Yes. I mean, she has to be," Ms. Martin tells her.

        Lydia shakes her head at this, "This isn't nonsense, Mom. It's code." 

 

Third POV,  _BH Hospital_

        Melissa reaches over the dial and lowers the heat that was coursing through the car. Ms. Yukimura kept watch on everyone who made their way inside the hospital and perked up at seeing someone new come up to the front entrance. 

        "What about him?" she asks Melissa. 

        Melissa glances over and shakes her head. 

        "No, he's in here every week with a new self-diagnosis."

        "Hypochondriac?"

        "Prescription drug addict," Melissa sighs out before looking at the time glowing on the car's dock. "Why are we doing this? Why are we asking them to fight these kinds of fights?"

        Ms. Yukimura offers her a tight smile knowing what she was going through at the moment. They never wanted their kids to end up this way but they were worser things they could get into. 

        "Because otherwise we'd be asking them to run and hide." 

        Inside the hospital, Stiles, Kira and Liam were surveilling the cameras that they set up to monitor the people inside the hospital. No one had yet to head towards the morgue and the wait had them all on edge. 

        Suddenly, one of the camera feeds starts to flicker before disappearing all together. 

        "Is that supposed to look like that?" Liam asks.

        "No," Stiles answers. "No, it's not."

        "Where is that?" Kira asks as she steps away from the laptops. 

        "The roof," Stiles answers. "Someone's gonna have to check it out."

        "I'll go," Kira offers up as she pulls her hair up. 

        "Whoa, whoa..." Stiles calls out to her. "This might not just be a malfunction."

        "That's why I'm bringing this," Kira answers as she takes up the katana she set aside. Seeing this, Liam leaps at the chance for action and follows after her. 

        "I'm coming with you."

        Stiles nervously watches them go as he remained behind to monitor the remaining cameras. 

        "Okay," he shouts after them. "And you're both coming right back. Immediately!"

        Liam jogs after Kira like a lost wolf puppy and they both reach the roof in no time. Kira takes notice of the empty and silent area before the generator in front of them blows up in sparks.       

        "Looks like someone did something to it," Liam suggests as he takes notice of the discarded wires.

        Kira hears the steps and turns back to find a large berseker heading their direction. 

        "I think somebody did..." Kira agrees as she pushes Liam behind her and swings out her katana. "Liam, run. Get out of here"

        Liam growls at the large threat in front of him and it doesn't take long for him to wolf out.

        "Liam!" Kira shouts in warning but it's too late. The young Beta sprints towards the berseker with claws extended.

        The lights inside the hospital starts to flicker and everyone inside becomes apprehensive. Stiles wanders through the halls trying to keep an eye out for anything out of place. It was hard with the flickering lights and the sudden hall traffic. 

        Before he knew it, Stiles was looking down the barrel of a gun and he raises his hand in surrender.

        He lets out a sigh when he realized the gun belonged to one apprehensive Chris Argent.  

        "The power's out in the whole building," Stiles tells him as he puts his arms down. "I lost all the cameras."

        Chris nods at this and puts the gun down.

        "Stay with Scott," he orders Stiles. "Text me if you see or hear anything." 

        Stiles and Chris split up once more in the hospital as they both had their own mission to uphold. 

        Chaos continued to grow within the hospital as staff and patients started to panic at the flickering lights. Melissa and Ms. Yukimura had made their way inside when they noticed the large sparks emitted by the blown up generator. They were both jogging through the halls trying to find someone to explain what was going on. 

        "I'm guessing the power doesn't go out often in this hospital," Ms. Yukimura comments as they make their way through the empty halls.

        "Only when under attack by supernatural creatures," Melissa answers as they reach the surveillance room. Melissa stops when she notices the abandoned laptops. 

        "What the..."

        Scream are heard down the hall and the urgency between the mothers grow as a berserker stands at the end of the hall.

        "Are you still a Kitsune?" Melissa asks Ms. Yukimura. 

        "Technically," she answers.

        Not pleased with the answer, both mothers start to slowly back out of the empty hallway.         

*

_Scott finds himself in the hall once more and tries to recall why the place seemed familiar. Before he knew it, Scott catches the lacrosse ball thrown his way and looks up to find Liam at the end of the hall._

_"That's why you're the Alpha."_

_Liam jogs off and Scott follows after him._

_Instead of entering a classroom, Scott finds himself in the locker room and he peers into his reflection in the mirror. The sensation in his mouth was different and Scott opens his mouth to examine it._

_"There's something different, isn't there?" Liam asks from beside him._

_"I've got more fangs," Scott answers as he takes notice of the sharp canines. "I noticed it during the quarantine. I don't know why."_

_"Maybe it's part of being an Alpha," Liam offers up. "Like you're becoming more of a werewolf."_

_Scott shudders at the thought as he steps away from the mirror._

_"Or more of a monster."_

_"What if it makes you stronger?" Liam asks peering up at Scott with excitement. "What if it's like you're growing?"_

_**"Evolving."**_

_Scott hears from an automatic voice. He turns around and finds a frozen Liam who lets out a groan and falls into Scott's arms with a hatchet buried into his back.  He turns around and finds the Mute placing a finger to his covered mouth silencing Scott once more._

Diana's POV,  _The Loft_

        I fill the table up with all of my favorite weapons while Derek catches his breath. I had many guns stored away but picked the simple handgun in my possession and placed it before him. The scowl on his face deepens at the sight of it.  

        "This is a Sig Sauer P2269mm." 

        "I don't like guns," Derek states.

        "That's because you've never learned to use one," I point out.

        "Or because I've been shot," Derek explains. " _Repeatedly_."

        "I know," I sigh out. "Which is why I've hidden all of mine from you, but it's time to start liking them."

        "How many of them are you hiding in the loft?" Derek asks.

        I suppress the grin on my lips and ignore his question.

        "The legal clip size in California is ten," I explain to him as I pull out the magazine and show it to him. "You always want to remember how many shots you fire. Running out of bullets can get you killed. It also makes you look stupid. But using a gun isn't just about learning how to point and shoot."

        I clip the magazine back in and turn the safety back on. 

        "Why's that?" Derek asks. 

        "Because an average person can move twenty-one feet in one-point-five seconds," I answer. "If they have a knife, like I always carry, they can gut you before you can pull and fire. So with a gun, you need distance." 

        I place the gun into Derek's hand and take a few steps away from him. 

        "Go for it," I motion to him. "Pull the gun on me." 

        Derek lets out a sigh, as if it were all so easy, but the moment he raises the gun in my direction, I slap the underside of his gun and catch it in the air before Derek could realize what happened.

        "So, yeah..." Derek mutters as he tries to brush it off. 

        "Wanna try again?" I ask him as I offer the gun back to him. 

        "Mmm-hmm," Derek eagerly nods as he widens his stance. I couldn't help the smile of amusement as I noticed his concentrated stare. He raises his arm to take aim but this time I manage to maneuver myself under his arm, twisting his wrist, and having the gun fall into my awaiting hand.  

        Derek scowls and clears his throat reaching his hand for the gun once more.

        "One more time," he demands as he peered down at me.

        "I could do this all night..." I taunt as I stood in front of him once more and placed the gun into his hand. I offered him a teasing grin which softened the determined scowl on his face. 

        Before I knew it, his hand was tangled in my hair and pulling me into him. His lips pressed hungrily against mine and I let out a surprised moan as he bit lightly on my lip. He pulls away and I was inclined to follow until I felt a hard pressure against my ribs. I snap my eyes open and glance down to find my gun being used against me. 

        "You cheated," I whisper as I look up at him with a light glare. 

        Derek shakes his head at me with a taunting grin, "I'm just learning how to win."

        I can't help but hear the way his heart is beating rapidly within his chest as he looked down at me awaiting my next move. I pull his shirt towards me and crash my lips against his. Derek is caught off guard by this but doesn't oppose it at all as he responds eagerly. His tongue slips through my lips and I moan at the small taste of him. 

        Derek easily picks me up and I wrap my legs around his waist as he carries me towards the table. My hand slips away from his neck as I reach the hilt of one of my knives discarded on the table. I immediately press the blade into the skin of his neck and he freezes at the cold contact. 

        "I told you," I whisper as I pull my lips away from him. "You need distance with a gun. Someone could pull a knife on you." 

        I pull the knife away and set it on the table once more. Derek tries to step away but I keep him in place by my legs locked on his waist. 

        "You're a sore loser, you know that?" Derek asks with a chuckle. 

        "I'll like to think myself more as a great teacher," I respond as my hand plays with the hem of his shirt. I pull the material up ignoring Derek's questioning gaze as I slip it off him. "But the lesson is over and I think we both deserve an overdue break." 

        Derek's heartbeat picks up once more and I don't think I can ever get over the sound. I close my eyes as his lips press against my own once more and I feel the warmth of his skin under my wandering hands.

        "Let's head to bed, shall we?" I whisper as we pull away for our breath. "Rather not have my armory pressing against my back." 

        Derek chuckles at this as he picks me up once more and heads towards the stairs. His lips press against the skin on my neck before traveling down to the edge of my camisole.

        "You weren't joking when you said you hadn't lost your strength," I joke. 

        "Oh, shut up," Derek mutters as he presses his lips against mine to silence me once and for all. I couldn't help the smile that breaks our kiss as we finally reach our bed. He plops me down on the bed before crawling over me. He stares at me for a moment before his heartbeat speeds up once more. 

        "What?" I ask him as he eyes seemed to watch me too deeply. 

        "Nothing I just..." Derek sighs fondly. "I love you." 

        "And I love you," I answer with a soft smile. "Now kiss me. We won't get another free night like this." 

*****

Third POV,  _BH Hospital_  

        Stiles paced around the morgue as he tried to get in touch with anyone. Chris hadn't answered his recent calls and Stiles was panicking as time was running out and no one was here.

        "Come on, come on," he mutters with the phone pressed into his ear. "Answer the phone. Answer the phone, Argent. Come on, Argent, answer the phone. Why are you not answering the phone?"

        Stiles hangs up before it could go to voicemail and at that moment a body is flung through the doors and lands in front of him. 

        "I was right," Chris groans out as he scrambles to get up. "Stiles, get out of here."

        The warning comes too late as Kate makes her way inside the morgue. Even at the sight of the murderous Argent, Stiles stood firmly in front of Scott's body. 

        "Get out of the way, Stiles," Kate threatens him. "I'm taking the body."

        "Why?" Stiles asks her as Chris stumbles beside him. "Visual confirmation?" 

        Kate chuckles at this, "Don't worry, handsome. I'm not The Benefactor." 

        "Then what do you want with the body?" Chris asks her. 

        "I wish I could tell you."

        Before Kate could get any closer, Chris moves to attack her once more. Kate blocks his first hit but is too slow to stop him from retrieving his gun and holding it under her chin.

        "I always forget you carry two," Kate states with a growl.

        "Back off!" Chris threatens her. 

        "You sure you can pull the trigger fast enough?" Kate taunts him. 

        "I don't want to," Chris answers. 

        "You're not going to kill me," Kate responds but this only serves to infuriate Chris more.

        "I'm not going to let you take his body!" 

        "Okay, well, obviously, you guys have a lot to talk about, so, maybe I saw some coffee, a vending machine outside," Stiles stutters out as he tries to weasel his way out of the room. He doesn't get too far as Chris and Kate return to their argument full force. 

        "Listen to me, Kate," Chris snaps at her. "We have a plan."

        "If killing Scott was part of it, you're worse than me," Kate remarks.

        "He's telling the truth," Stiles explains to her. "We're trying to get to The Benefactor."

        "If you didn't notice, you're on that list too," Chris points out. "And you're worth more than most."

        "That's why I'm here," Kate tells him.

        "Then back off and let us do what we planned," Chris states hoping to get through to his sister. "Take the Berserkers, and go. Kate, please. We have a plan."

*

         _Scott's eyes were red. As red as the blood coating his face that was dripping down ever so slowly. His claws were desperate to dig deep into another beating chest but he doesn't get the chance to as flickers of faint images and shadows start to flicker in his mind. A big burning in his chest snaps him out of..._

Scott takes a deep breath as he feels himself come back into his body. Kira is the first person he sees and she offers him a smile before kissing him briefly. Scott smiles up at her before recalling how they got to this point in the first place. 

        "What happened?" Scott asks as he turns to Chris and Stiles. "Did it work?" 

        No one wants to admit their failure but they don't get the chance to explain the way the night went as Liam barges into the morgue. Having spent the day with him, Kira could read Liam's nervous state.

        "What?" she asks him. 

        "It's your mother..." Liam tells her. "She's hurt."

_McCall Residence_

        Scott and Kira sat across from each other in his bed. They had both been silent unsure of how to start the conversations. Scott held her hands in his as they stared at each other with a nervous smile. With a deep breath, Kira decides to speak up to ease both of their minds. 

        "My mom's being taken to a hospital in Palo Alto," she tells him trying to keep up her strong front. "They actually put her in a helicopter."

        "But she's going to be okay?" Scott asks in concern. 

        "Yeah," Kira assures him with a smile. "She just doesn't heal like she used to. I need to be there with her. Especially if she's still on the list."

        "I know," Scott responds. "You should go. I actually have to go back to the hospital too. They want to do a bunch of tests since I was kind of officially dead."

        Kira chuckles lightly at this. 

        "I guess Liam's dad has a lot of questions," Kira remarks.

        "Yeah," Scott agrees with a nod. 

        "I just wish it had all worked," Kira sighs out. "It was a good plan."

        "Yeah, I've been thinking about that too," Scott states having time to have thought it through. "And actually, I think maybe it did work. Not that I know exactly who The Benefactor is but we might know a lot more about him now."

        "But no one came," Kira tells him. "And no one got visual confirmation, right?"

        "That's why it might have worked," Scott tells her. "Think about it. Who has the power to know when someone's dead, but doesn't need to see the body to know it happened?"

        Kira doesn't waste a second to come up with the answer. 

        " _A Banshee_."

Diana's POV,  _The Loft_

        Derek was delicate in his touch as he traced the outline of the tattoo on my back. His eyes were focused on the design and he only stopped as goosebumps erupted across my skin. He stops his tracing and looks down at me with a small smile of contempt, one that I return. 

        "I thought you were asleep," Derek whispers. 

        "I was for a bit," I answer as I wrap the sheet around my chest and turn to face him. "Why are you awake? Does your side still hurt? I think I have some..." 

        "I'm fine," Derek assures me as he pressed a quick kiss on my forehead. "Just couldn't sleep..." 

        The sigh he offers afterwards makes me aware that something deeper was going on. 

        "Something else you want to tell me?" I ask.

        "I'm sorry I lied to you," Derek states as he glanced over at me. "I didn't want to, but I knew if I told you... you would have gone after Kate with a vengeance and you wouldn't have cared about the assassins that are coming after you." 

        "You should know me better, Der," I sigh out.

        "I know..." Derek sighs out. "I know you can take care of yourself, but..." 

        "No, not about that," I tell him. "Do you honestly think I would blindly go after Kate? Throw caution to the wind? Ignore everything that is going on here?"

        Derek remains silent as he thought all of this true. 

        "I am loyal to the pack, to our friends, and most importantly to  _you_ ," I explain to him. "I would never think to leave you behind and especially not now." 

        "Because I'm basically as useless as Stiles now?" 

        I chuckle at that and shake my head at him. 

        "No, because you're my Mate," I answer as I glance up at him. "You're my partner, I could never leave you behind." 

        "Through thick and thin, huh?" Derek asks with a small smile. 

        "Yup," I answer with a chuckle. "You're not getting rid of me that easily." 

        Derek's quick to climb over me and press an urgent kiss on my lips. He pulls away just as quickly as his warm eyes glance over my face with a tender look. 

        "I would never think of getting rid of you," he whispers as if he needed to assure me of this truth that I've always known. "In fact, I plan to keep you forever."

        "I like that plan," I whisper back as my thumb brushes against his cheek.

        My eyes flutter to his lips and I can't help but to kiss him once more. He hums at the contact and I can hear his heart beating rapidly within his chest. I pull away sooner than he likes but there were stills some things I had to say. 

        "I intend to be with you forever, Der," I state as his eyes peered into mine. "And in order to do so, I have to keep my promise of finding the answers you were looking for..." 

        "What are you saying?" Derek asks in confusion. 

        "I'm saying I think I might know someone who might be able to help," I answer. "An old friend to some... enemy to others."

        Derek narrows his eyes at me as I said this and I knew I couldn't unveil anything more from there. 

        "Who is it?" 

        "I can't tell you that now," I answer. "But trust me, if anyone knows what's happening it's him." 

        Derek doesn't seemed convinced by this but lets out a sigh. 

        "Fine," he whispers as he sat up from bed and pulled his pants back on.

        "Where are you going?" I ask in concern. 

        "Downstairs for a glass of water," Derek answers as he pressed a quick kiss on my temple. "Do you want me to bring you anything?" 

        "No, I'm good," I answer. Derek nods at this and shuffles out of the room and makes his way downstairs. I lay in bed for a couple of minutes staring at the blank ceiling lost in my thoughts. I could hear Derek filling up a glass of water but he remains downstairs longer than I expected him to. 

        I pull his discarded shirt over my head and make my way out of the room. I lean over the stair railing to find Derek's glass discarded at the table as he picked up the gun from the table and inspected it closely. Before I knew it, he started to disarm it and arm it back up again practicing what I had taught him earlier. 

        I couldn't help the small smile on my face as I watched him run through it again with more speed than before. Seeing that he was distracted for the time being, I return to the bedroom and pick up my cellphone from its charging station. I make my way over to the bedroom window and take a seat at the ledge. 

        The number Braeden had given me had been immediately saved to my phone and it was currently blinking on my screen. I take a deep breath and press the call button. 

        _Ring. Ring. Ring._

        _"...Hello?"_

        "Hi," I greet flinching at the thought that it was currently 3 AM. "It's Diana. Sorry for calling so late or early... I just... I'm hoping to cash in that favor you owe us." 

         _"Well what can I do, Diana?_ " 

        "It's better if we talk face to face," I tell him. "How soon can you come to Beacon Hills?"


	15. Perishable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow this chapter didn't make it's way up (????) but thanks for letting me know! So now it's up!

Third POV, Unknown Location

        Jordan Parrish groans at the pounding in his head. He tries to move but finds himself zip tied to the steering wheel of his patrol cars. The smell of gasoline stirs him awake and he looks around to find gas being splashed in every inch of the car. He tries to catch sight of his attacker but can't seem to find him. 

        "Hey!" Parrish shouts. "Hey, what are you doing? Listen... Listen to me! I'm a Deputy with the Beacon Hills Sheriff's Department..."

        The gasoline is still being thrown but the man stops and peers through the open window. 

        "Damn," he mutters. "I was hoping you'd be out longer."

        Parrish looks up at him in confusion. 

        "Haigh?" Parrish asks recognizing his fellow deputy partner. "What the hell? What are you doing?" 

        Haigh just chuckles as Parrish tries to break through the ties. 

        "You're a good guy, Parrish," Haigh tells him. "But the list says you're worth five million dollars."

        "What?" Parrish exclaims. "I don't know what you're talking about. Haigh, listen... I mean, I barely make $40,000 a year."

        Haigh scowls as he hears this, "I only make 36."

        "Haigh, please!" Parrish shouts as Haigh pours the rest of the gasoline onto him. "Just stop! You don't have to do this. Look, if you're having money problems..."

        "You're worth five million dead, Parrish," Haigh remarks as he throws the gasoline can aside. "Sounds like you got the problem."

        "Please... Please, don't do this," Parrish begs once more as Haigh pulls out the matches from his pocket. "You're just gonna stand there? You're just gonna listen to a fellow Deputy burn to death?" 

        Haigh ignores his last comments as he pulls out his phone next and puts his headphones in blasting the music in high. 

        "Haigh, wait..." Parrish pleads as his partner blocks him out. "No, wait! Wait!"

        Haigh sets the pack of matches on and throws the packet inside the patrol car. The car is quickly set aflame and screams pierce through the air. Haigh didn't hear any of it as he turned away from the sight and started to walk away. Loud music coursed through his ears as he made his way back to the police department. 

BH Police Department

        Stiles and Lydia were trying to make sense of what Ms. Martin had told her daughter concerning her late grandmother. The scrap of paper left to her was written in code that Lydia had yet to manage to break. Because of this, Stiles and Lydia made their way towards the Sheriff's office hoping to find something out that way. 

        "It's not just that she could still be alive," Stiles states as his dad leads them into his office. "It's that she would've had to fake her death."

        "Your grandmother, Lorraine Martin, faked her death?" Sheriff asks the young Banshee.

        "Definitely," Stiles answers.

        "Maybe," Lydia responds with a hesitant shrug.

        "More than likely, yes," Stiles states hoping to regain his father's attention.

        "Oh, I'm guessing you got a story to back this up?" Sheriff Stilinski asks he quickly begins to lose interest. 

        "She might be helping The Benefactor," Lydia offers up.

        "Or is The Benefactor," Stiles states earning a glare from Lydia. 

        "That sounds like a story worth hearing," Sheriff sighs out as he closes the door to his office to stop his deputy from overhearing.

        Deputy Haigh ignores the closing door as he focuses on his computer screen. Nothing had happened after his earlier night's activity and he was growing a bit impatient. 

        Inquiring about wire transfer. 

        The door to the Sheriff's office opens once more and Sheriff Stilinski leans out for a minute. 

        "Anybody seen Parrish?" Sheriff asks before turning to the remaining deputy. "Haigh?" 

        "Haven't seen him," he answers with disinterested shrug.

        Haigh watches the Sheriff head back into his office and his focus returns back to the screen where a response is yet to be given. 

        The police department is silent due to the time of night. The front doors open and silent foot falls thread through the empty office before they stop in front of the deputies desks. 

        Haigh was awaiting for a response that it takes him a second to notice the other presence in the office. He glances to his right and tenses up at the sight before him. 

        "Holy..." Haigh exclaims as he tries to retrieve his gun from his holster. "You're dead!"

        Jordan Parrish, nude and covered in soot and burnt clothes, sprints towards him as a burning rage courses through him. Haigh tries to aim at him but Parrish slams him against the wall as two shots are directed to the roof. This catches the Sheriff's attention as he steps out of his office. 

        "Hey!" he shouts to his fighting deputies. 

        Jordan and Haigh are still fighting over the control of the gun and one more shot is given. The Sheriff groans as it hits his shoulder and Stiles and Lydia immediately step out of the office to take care of the fallen Stilinski. 

        Jordan manages to punch Haigh and throws his gun aside. He throws Haigh to the ground and punches him. 

        "But you're dead!"

        Parrish doesn't care as he continues to punch Haigh. All he sees is red at the moment and the anger fueling him blocks out the the world around him. 

        The computer screen on Haigh's desk lights up at the incoming message that no one reads. 

        The Benefactor: Kill Not Confirmed. 

******

Diana's POV, The Loft

        I watch as Derek inspected the hand of Deputy Parrish. After hearing what occurred earlier, Scott and Lydia had brought Parrish into the loft in hopes that we could figure out how he survived an assassination attempt. Derek lets Parrish's hand go and I wonder what he could possibly be thinking. 

        "He covered you in gasoline?" Derek asks causing the deputy to nod.

        "It's the hair and nails, isn't it?" Lydia offers up. "The parts of the body that are essentially dead." 

        "Well, they should be gone," I answer as I inspect the deputy from head to toe for an anomaly.

        "I was set on fire," Parrish states. "All of me should be gone." 

        "Not if you're like us," Scott argues.

        "Like you?" Parrish asks confused. 

        "I don't think he's like us," Derek answers.

        "He's right," I tell them. "We don't survive fires as well as Parrish did."

        "Then what is he?" Lydia asks. 

        "Sorry, but I have no idea," Derek answers.

        "But you knew about Jackson and Kira," Scott remarks.

        "This is a little out of my experience," Derek offers up with an apologetic smile. 

        "Diana?" Lydia asks me. 

        I step up to Parrish who offers me a small smile. 

        "What does he smell like, Scott?" 

        "Smell like?" Parrish asks confused at the question. 

        "Cologne," Scott answers immediately. 

        "I can smell that, Scott," I remark. "What else?" 

        Scott inhales once more but he cringes again. 

        "Still cologne," Scott answers. "That's all I can smell from him."

        "You can still smell it, can you?" I ask him as I watch him closely. "The gasoline? The fire? The scent of you burning?" 

        "I uh..." 

        "The heavy use of cologne and the way your skin seems a bit red because you washed yourself up too harshly," I point out to him. "That's how I knew. It's a coping tactic. One I used when I was younger..." 

        Parrish is ushered into silence as I said this. 

        "The way you came back," I state. "I would have thought you might have been a Phoenix but whether you know it or not, Phoenix's aren't too afraid of their deaths and you were afraid. You still are though you refuse to believe it." 

        "So you don't know either?" 

        "He's either something really old or very rare," I answer Scott. "There might be something in the bestiary. Did you try Argent?" 

        "I don't know where he is," Scott answers.

        "Okay, hold on," Parrish interrupts. "What's a bestiary? Actually, that's not even my first question. Just... Just tell me one thing. Are all of you like Lydia? Are you all psychic?" 

        "Psychic?" Derek huffs out in amusement. 

        "Yeah," Parrish states. 

        "Not exactly," Scott answers.  

        "Okay," Parrish responds with confusion as he stared at the rest of us. "Then what are you?" 

        Scott looks at Derek and I and we both let out a sigh. Parrish deserved to know what he was facing and we've all learned our lesson in keeping the knowledge of the unnatural in the dark. 

        Scott looks at the waiting deputy and reveals his red Alpha eyes while I revealed my amber ones. Parrish takes an immediate step back and I revert back to my brown ones as I offer him a small smile.

        "You should probably take a seat, Parrish," I tell him. "There's a lot you've got to catch up on." 

        Between the four of us, we tried to explain the past year and a half to a focused Jordan Parrish. From Peter's murderous tour to the confusing Nogitsune ordeal, Parrish listened to it all from his seat on the couch. 

        "What's a Kanima?" he asks when the conversation lulled. 

        "We'll get back to that," Scott tells him. "Just know that everyone like us, everyone with some kind of supernatural ability, is on the dead pool." 

        "But I don't even know what I am," Parrish argues.

        "I'm pretty sure they don't care," Derek states.

        I offer Derek a glance at his brashness and he lets out a sigh. 

        "How many professional assassins are we talking about?" Parrish asks

        "We're starting to lose count," Lydia answers solemnly.

        "But is it still just professionals?" I ask. 

        "I don't think Haigh's ever tried anything like this," Parrish explains. "I think he was taking a chance."

        "That means anyone with the dead pool could take a chance," Derek states.

        "But if Haigh had it, then who else does?" Parrish asks. "How easy is it to get this thing now?" 

        Concerned stares are shared between us all as the answer becomes clear. 

        "I thinks it's everyone's game now," I answer as I glance over at Derek. "Everyone needs to be ready for anything." 

*

        My phone starts to vibrate in my pocket and I don't have to even glance at it to know who it's coming from. Lydia had spoken up about knowing a possible connection to the Benefactor which may bring us a way to shut down this deal pool once and for all. I let the call ring itself out before feeling a simple vibration go off. I pull out my phone and take notice of the address in the text message and I make a mental note to look into it before I finished packing my travel bag. 

        "Meredith was only at my grandmother's lake house once," Lydia starts to explain. "But I think once was enough." 

        "How did your grandmother know her?" Derek asks her. 

        "She didn't," Lydia answers. "She found her because of another woman named Maddy. The woman she loved."

        Lydia lets out a sigh as she faces the window overlooking downtown. 

        "I never met her, but I saw her name everywhere," Lydia states. "She used to be part of a yacht racing team. There were plaques and trophies in the lake house from all the regattas she'd won."

        "How did she die?" I ask. 

        "How's not the story," Lydia explains. "It's what happened right before. My grandmother, Lorraine, used to work in San Francisco for IBM. She was there on a weekend catching up on work. She started hearing this sound... Like rain. But when she looked out the windows... All she saw was blue sky." 

        "But she kept hearing the rain?" Scott asks her.

        "And it just kept getting louder," Lydia whispers. "Rain and thunder cracking like gunshots in her head. So loud. She finally just screamed." 

        "Like a Banshee," Derek states.         

        Lydia nods at this and continues with her story.

        "She called Maddy who was planning on taking one of the boats out on the lake," Lydia tells us. "But Maddy said that the sun was shining there too so Lorraine didn't say anything." 

        "There was an accident?" Deputy Parrish asks. 

        "It took them four days to find Maddy's body and then it took decades to figure out how Lorraine knew," Lydia explains. A flash of a scowl presents in her face before disappearing. "She started with parapsychologists like the PhD in their name made it more scientific. They built the study in the lake house according to every pseudoscientific theory they could find. None of it worked. So then she started going to more extreme occult."

        She turns and begins to pace as she becomes deeply invested in her thoughts. 

        "Things like mediums and psychics All of them were failures," Lydia tells us. "Until she found Meredith. They found her in Eichen House. This fragile girl who didn't understand the things she heard. They brought her to the study. And they almost killed her. She was hospitalized for over a year. She... never really recovered. My grandmother drove her insane... I drove her to suicide. And all she ever wanted to do was help. My grandmother created the code for the dead pool. They think she's the Banshee who put the names out in the first place. She left me this message in the same code."

        Lydia pulls out the scrap of code and places it on the table. We all surround her and take in the sight of the neatly written code that was a few decades old.

        "But she didn't leave a cipher key, did she?" Scott asks her and Lydia shakes her head. 

Third POV, The Loft

        Diana walks Lydia and Parrish down to their cars as they were all caught up to date with what's occurred in the past few days. Derek had his bags half-way packed as he decided to watch Diana from the window. She waved Lydia goodbye as she continued to speak with Parrish of how to go on from here. He didn't like how close the deputy was standing to Diana but he soon realizes that his mate was writing something in his hand. He turns away from the window when he hears Scott enter the room. 

        "Careful with that," Derek warns him as he notices the gun he picked up from the bed.

        "I thought you didn't like guns," Scott answers causing Derek to take it from him and place it in his bag. Scott stares at him in concern. "Does this have something to do with your eyes?"

        "My eyes, my hearing, the healing... All of it."

        "Gone?" Scott asks.         

        "Whatever Kate did to me it's still happening," Derek explains to him.

        "If the dead pool really was made by a Banshee then there's something else that you should know about," Scott states as he pulls out a sheet from his back pocket. He unfolds it and hands it to Derek. "Your name broke the third list. It was a cipher key."

        Derek looks over the last of the dead pool and finds that it's true.

        "And the two other keys were Allison and Aiden," Derek acknowledges as he folds the paper up.

        "And I... I don't want to make you nervous, but it kind of feels like there might be a pattern there, doesn't it?" Scott offers up nervously. "Allison, Aiden... You."

        "Names picked by a Banshee," Derek states.

        "It... It could mean that you're in danger," Scott tries to refute.

        Derek shakes his head at this, "Scott, Banshees don't predict danger. They predict death." 

        "We'll figure something out," Scott tries to assure him. "I'm sure Diana..." 

        "We're not going to tell her about this," Derek interrupts him as he hides the sheet deep in his bag. 

        "Derek, you guys haven't had the best track record when it comes to keeping secrets," Scott reminds him. 

        "Don't worry, Scott," Derek tells him. "I'll tell her but not right now. I just..." 

        Derek hesitates for a second before digging through his bag again to pull out a book. 

        "Is Diana still with Parrish?" Derek asks. "Can you hear them?" 

        Scott focuses on his hearing and hears the distant conversation. He nods at Derek who decides to hand the book over to Scott. 

        "What is this?" Scott asks as he tries to find a title. 

        "Just open it," Derek tells him. 

        Scott flips the first few pages open before he realizes that a hole had been cut through them. He stops and looks at the hole made in the book and pulls out the concealed item. 

        "Is this what I think it is?" Scott asks as he tries to refrain the smile on his face. 

        Derek plucks the ring from his finger and places it back in the book. 

        "I've been thinking about asking her for awhile," Derek tells Scott as he packs the book up once more. "But she can't know about the third part of the dead pool list." 

        "Because she'll focus on that and nothing else," Scott states causing Derek to nod. 

        "Yeah," Derek sighs out. "I will tell her about it but just..."

        Scott nods in understanding and though he didn't particularly enjoy hiding secrets, he knew that Diana and Derek deserved an ounce of happiness even if it would only last a second.

        "Diana's on her way up," Scott warns him as he starts to head out. "Be safe on this trip of yours. I hope you find what you're looking for."

******

Third POV, Beacon Hills HS

        Liam makes his way inside and tries to ignore the way his heart was beating loudly within his chest. The memory of his encounter with the berserker kept flashing in his mind causing his heart to beat faster, his palms to sweat, and his breaths to be too sharp and short. 

        "Liam!" 

        The young Beta is startled but relaxes as he finds his friend Mason jogging up to catch him. 

        "Hey," Mason greets. "Am I gonna see you at the bonfire tonight?" 

        "Uh...I'm thinking about skipping it," Liam stutters out. 

        "You're not skipping," Mason deadpans.

        "Why not?"

        "Because you're on the lacrosse team," Mason reminds him. "Don't you have to go"

        "I don't, uh... I... I don't think I can make it," Liam tries to excuse himself out of it.

        "You're coming," Mason insists. "And we're gonna find you a nice girl that you can embarrass yourself in front of and find me a lacrosse player. Because statistically speaking, someone on your team has gotta be on my team. All right?" 

        Liam isn't focused on the conversation as he stops in his tracks. At the end of the hall, Liam saw a berserker standing amongst the morning rush crowd. Every breath it took caused its skeletal armor to clink against each other menacingly.  

        "Liam?"

        The young Beta blinks and rubs his eyes tiredly. At the end of the hall, there was nothing. 

        "Okay," Liam sighs out to his friend. "I'll be there." 

Stilinski Residence

        Stiles taped the picture of Loretta and Maddy and the written code onto his board. The red tape was prominent across all the evidence he had taped on the board and the identity of the Benefactor was the most prominent image on it. Stiles lets out a sigh and turns to Lydia who's sitting on his desk with her computer in front of her. The code had been typed in and all they had to do was figure out the key to unlock the list. 

        "Try Maddy," Stiles offers to her. "It's got to be Maddy."

        "Doesn't Maddy feel a little obvious as a cipher key?" Lydia asks him with a sigh. 

        "I guarantee it's Maddy."

        Lydia rolls her eyes at him before typing Maddy's name. She presses enter and the computer just emits Error. 

        "Okay, your name," Stiles offers next. "She left the code for you, right? So it's got to be your name."

        Lydia types her name next and the error message appears again. 

        "Your mom's name?"

        Error.

        Stiles sighs at this, "Do you have any beloved family pets?"        

        Lydia shakes her head at him and leans back in her chair as they started to think of other reasonably possible cypher keys to unlock the list.

******

Diana's POV, On the Road

        I could tell that Derek was growing annoyed by the music coming out of the radio and the lack of transparency on my side. For a moment, I thought he was annoyed by me talking to Parrish earlier today but it seems that an unprecedented field trip to a remote location and with an anonymous aid was something he couldn't really get behind on. I glance over at him and offer him a smile as he catches my gaze. 

        "We're meeting him halfway," I assure him knowing he was unhappy with my lack of details. "He made a longer journey than us so please turn that frown upside down." 

        "Who is he?" 

        "For the thousandth time, I'm not going to tell you," I answer. "You would just get angry and might even fling yourself out of the car in a tantrum." 

        "Is he an ex or something?" Derek asks with a roll of his eyes. 

        I couldn't help but chuckle at that. 

        "No," I answer. "Only had one ex and he's dead, remember?" 

        Derek nods at this and lets out a sigh. 

        "Then how do you know this guy?" 

        "I can't tell you," I tell him. "You'll make me turn this car around and we need those answers." 

        "Does he know about me?" 

        "I thought it'll be best if you told him yourself," I answer.

        Derek returns to his silence and glaring at the radio. I couldn't help but chuckle again as I lowered the volume. 

        "I saw you pack a book in your bag," I tell him. "Why don't you read it and stop glaring at my music choice?" 

        "I can't," Derek answers. "I'll get car sick." 

        I couldn't help the laugh that escapes my lips. 

        "Oh poor baby," I taunt him. "Make sure to tell me if you need me to pull over." 

        "If I could growl, I would." 

*****

Third POV, Stilinski Residence

        Stiles let out a sigh and stopped his pacing. Lydia had been staring at the screen wondering what name would work to unlock the code. All past attempts had led them nowhere and Stiles decided it was best to start back up from the beginning. There must be something that they're both missing. 

        "The room was left for you," Stiles states. "The code was left for you. You're supposed to be able to figure this out."

        "But no one else is," Lydia sighs out knowing why Stiles' guesses weren't the right ones. "Which is why she made it hard."

        The printer in Stiles' room continues to beep throughout their interaction and he quickly grows annoyed by the sound. He grabs a stack of paper and stuffs it into the cartridge. The printer stops beeping and Stiles returns his focus to finding the cypher key.

        "You... "No one else." No one else but you," Stiles repeats as it finally hits him.

        "What?" Lydia asks not understanding his methods. 

        "Our guesses," Stiles explains to her. "They're all about Lorraine. Right? We keep trying to guess a word that has something to do with her. So, maybe we should be trying to guess one that's about you."

        "Me?" Lydia asks confused. "What about me?"

        "What do you remember doing with your grandmother?" Stiles asks her. "You know, what was you guys', like, special thing? Did you guys go to the beach? You know, did you like ice cream or..."

        "We read," Lydia tells him.

        "Okay," Stiles replies needing more information. "What did you read?"

        "The Little Mermaid."

        "You read that movie?" Stiles asks confused.

        "It was a book first," Lydia answers with a roll of her eyes. "Hans Christian Andersen." 

        "Type it in. "Little Mermaid."

        Lydia sighs and types in the title. The Error message appears again.

        "We read it every night," Lydia explains to Stiles. "I got so obsessed with it, for three months I wouldn't respond to anything but Ariel. It drove my parents crazy, but..."

        Lydia pauses at this as the answer had easily slipped into her mind.

        "...Grandma thought it was adorable."

        Lydia sits up at this and types Ariel. The computer takes the key and immediately the code is deciphered and names started to appear.

        "You recognize any of these?" Stiles asks.

        Lydia shakes her head and lets out a sigh.

        "Just my grandmother." 

Beacon Hills HS

        The locker room was loud with conversation. Everyone was excited for the bonfire that was happening tonight. It was a tradition here in Beacon Hills and it was one of the biggest get together that ever occurs in town. Scott set his bag away and ignored the conversation going around him. There was too much going on for him to actually enjoy the excitement of the bon fire.

        "Alright!" Coach Finstock shouts as he emerges from his office. "Now I know the start of season bonfire, it's a big deal for you guys. I also know it gets out-of-hand sometimes. The alumni show up, there's other teams, and... alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol."

        The locker room erupts in cheer causing Coach to roll his eyes.

        "Alright, shut up!" Coach Finstock yells. "Now, what I don't understand is why anybody would ever want to get stumbling down drunk in front of a massive open fire. I'm also resigned to not being able to stop you guys." 

        The locker room cheers loudly at this too and Coach's patience is quickly running thin. 

        "I also remind you, your team captain, McCall, will be there," Coach inform them catching Scott by surprise. "And I can count on him to narc on any and every one of these little bastards." 

        Scott nods at this and glances over at Liam as he notes the way he anxiously looks at the ground and flinches at the cheers in the locker room. 

        "Get back to class!" 

        Scott was about to make his way to Liam only to find him already gone from the locker room. He quickly makes his way out and catches up to Liam in the hallway. 

        "Hey," he calls out to him. "You okay?"

        Liam lets out a sigh and stops walking.

        "Last night my printer went off by itself," Liam tells him. "I couldn't turn it off. I hit the cancel button but it just kept printing."

        "Printing what?" Scott asks him. 

        Liam doesn't get the chance to respond as the teacher's lounge starts to spit out a flow of freshly printed papers. An incoming Coach Finstock yells at the sight. 

        "What the hell's this?" 

        Scott and Liam start to pick up the flowing pages that had flown into the hallway. Scott tenses up at the sight of the dead pool list so bluntly flowing into the hallway where everyone could find it. 

        "You see the difference?" Liam asks him. 

        Scott looks through the three parts of the list. 

        "Derek's not on the list anymore," Scott points out.

        "And I'm not worth three million," Liam includes. "It's 18 now. $18 million." 

        Scott looks up at his Beta and finds the answers to all of the questions he's had. Everyone had access to the dead pool and Liam's involvement in the pack had made the bounty on his head grow.

******

Diana's POV, Unknown Location

        Derek sits up as I take a turn on a hidden dirt road. The road was long and winded but it ends with a cabin hidden deep in the woods. I park the car in the outskirt of the parkway and unbuckle my seatbelt. Derek was about to step out of the car but I stop him before he reaches for the handle. 

        "Before we get out, I think you should know who we're meeting." 

        Seeing the apprehensive look in my face, Derek's scowl deepens.

        "Diana, who did you call?" 

        "Like I said," I answer as I see the door of the cabin open. "Friends to some, enemies to others." 

        Derek turns away from me and watches the man who comes out of the cabin. 

        "Deucalion?" Derek grits out. "You called Deucalion?" 

        "He knew your mother, Derek," I tell him. "He's one of the few elder werewolves we know and he knows a lot that we don't." 

        Derek still seems hesitant at this and I let out a sigh as I step out of the car. Derek follows soon after and I had to watch him to make sure he didn't immediately retrieve the guns we brought along for the ride. 

        "Hey Duke," I greet as we make our way to the cabin seeing the way that Derek scowled at the nickname. 

        "Diana," he responds with a smile. "I would say it's a pleasure but you come for pure business." 

        "I'm afraid so," I sigh out. "We were hoping you could help us out." 

        Deucalion glances at Derek who had remained silent through the interaction. 

        "Let's head inside, shall we?" he asks. "The cold's setting in." 

        Deucalion was about to lead us in before we hear a howling coming from the woods. 

        "I thought you said you didn't have a pack," I state as I felt a trickle of fear course through me. 

        "I don't," Deucalion responds. 

        "Then who was that?"

******

Third POV, BH Police Department/Eichen House

        Stiles and Lydia waited patiently in the police department as Parrish took care of the decoded dead pool. Parrish had been kind enough to take up the unofficial case as he looked into the names. The files were amounting on his desk as he found the files for every name on the list.

        "Well, it's not another dead pool," Parrish explains to them as he finished his search. "More like an already dead pool."

        "All of them?" Lydia asks with a sigh. "All dead?"

        "Within the last 10 years," Parrish states. "All suicides. And all at the same place."

        Stiles peers through the files and finds the name of a very hated institution. 

        "Eichen House." 

        Lydia and Stiles take the list from Parrish and step aside allowing the deputy to return to his work. Stiles could tell that Lydia had something in mind and he lets out a sigh having a feeling he knew what it was about. 

        "Lydia, Eichen House isn't a library," he reminds her. "You need a warrant to get files from there."

        "My grandmother left me a list of 10 suicides including her own," Lydia tells him. "There's got to be a reason why. Is there anyone there who's willing to help us?"

        "No," Stiles answers with a shake of his head knowing that the deputy would refrain from going to Eichen with them again. "But there might be someone willing to take a bribe." 

Beacon Hills HS

        The fire is set on the pyre and everything is set up in flames. The whole crowd outside the school erupts in cheers and the music and light show starts up. Everyone was drinking, laughing, and dancing throughout the yard. Scott lets out a sigh as he patrolled the bonfire on his own. He finds Malia dancing nearby with a flask in her hand.

        "Hey," Scott greets her. "What are you doing here?"

        "Getting drunk," Malia answers as she continues to dance to the music. "What are you doing?"

        "Trying to make sure no one gets hurt," Scott tells her as he glances around once more.

        "That sounds fun too," Malia states as she takes another swing from her flask.

        "I don't want to ruin your night or anything, but we kind of can't get drunk," Scott warns her.

        "What?" Malia asks confused. 

        "I think it has something to do with our healing," Scott tries to explain to her. "But, trust me, I've tried. You're not gonna feel anything."

        Malia rolls her eyes at him and points past him.

        "Maybe you should tell him that."

        Scott follows her line of sight and finds Liam seated at a table nearby with a bottle of Jack in his hands. Liam was taking drinks from it as if it was water. 

        "Not gonna tell me to slow down?" Liam asks as he turned over to his friend Mason.

        "Actually, I was gonna say, "Keep drinking," Mason responds with a chuckle. "I think you should get drunk. And I mean stumbling down, fall on your ass, passed out with your face in a toilet drunk."

        "Why?"

        "Maybe then when I ask you what's going on, you'll be too drunk to lie," Mason responds as his smile fades. "I'm not asking this because I want to know. I'm asking because I want to help."

        Liam contemplates whether telling him the truth or not and refrains from doing so. 

        "I'm gonna get another drink," Liam answers as he sets the empty bottle aside. He steps out of the table and stumbles in his first few steps. "Yeah... I'm getting drunk." 

        Scott turns his attention away from Liam as he focused on the spite that Malia still held for him. 

        "I just want to talk," Scott sighs out.

        "Well, I just want to dance," Malia answers as she continues to move with the music.

        "We had our reasons," Scott tries to explain to her. "We didn't tell you about Peter..."

        "To protect me," Malia concludes for herself. "That's what Peter said you would say. And guess what he said next? That you were right."

        Scott looks up at her in surprise at this and Malia chuckles at his expression. 

        "Does that surprise you?" she asks him. 

        "No," Scott tells her as he thinks it through. "It makes me wonder what he wants. Malia, we need to stay together. You, me, Stiles..."

        "I don't want to talk about Stiles," Malia grits out. "I just want to dance. And get drunk." 

        Malia tries to continue with her dancing until she stumbles. Scott is quick to catch her before she fell. 

        "Malia..." he calls out to her as he tries to keep her upright. "You are drunk." 

        "Yep," Malia giggles in his arms.

        "But you can't be," Scott states.

        "Is this what drunk feels like?" Malia asks as she felt the nausea hit her painfully. "It doesn't feel as good as I hoped."

        Scott watches her and catches sight of Liam's stumbling steps from afar. 

        "I don't think it's supposed to." 

******

Diana's POV, Unknown Location

        I couldn't help the chuckle on my lips as I saw the wolf that jogged up to the cabin. It's brown matted fur was shaking off melting snow as it approached the front few steps of the cabin. The smile on Deucalion's face made it obvious that this wasn't the first time he's seen this particular wolf. 

        "Take it he's yours?" I ask as we step down from the cabin to watch the wolf. "Is it one of us?" 

        "He's not mine," Deucalion answers. "And no, he's a real wolf. Follows me around for some reason."         

        "Even lone wolves feel lonely," Derek states as he approached the wolf with ease. He combed through its fur and the wolf seemed pleased by the gentle act. 

        "I guess you were wrong when you said you didn't have pack," I tell Deucalion. "This one seems keen to be in yours." 

        Deucalion chuckles at this and shakes his head. 

        "Come inside, I'll make us a cup of tea," Deucalion tells me as he makes his way inside the cabin. I start to follow after him and glance back at Derek who is still with the wolf. 

        "Coming in?" 

        "I don't trust him," Derek answers. "You might want to, but I don't. 

        "Derek..." 

        "Get the answers you want," Derek tells me. "I'll stay out here waiting." 

        I let out a sigh and make my way inside the cabin leaving Derek on his own. The cabin was simple and it was lightly coated in dust. I wondered if Deucalion had been here recently seeing the light dust layer.

        "So what has you so worried?" Deucalion asks as he set a cup of tea in front of me. I thank him and take a seat next to him on the dining table. 

        "I don't know if you've heard through the grapevine but we've caught ourselves into some trouble again," I tell him. "And Derek took the worst hit." 

        "I noticed that he didn't..." 

        "Seem the same?" I finish for him. "It's because he's not. A few months ago, Derek disappeared from the loft because Kate Argent took him. I found him buried in the temple of Tezcatlipoca. He was 7 years younger and it took a lot for him to return to who he is now except it came with a price." 

        "What kind of price?" 

        "He lost the color of his eyes," I told him. "And then he started to lose everything else. Smell, hearing, healing... He's human now and we need to figure out what Kate did and how we can reverse it." 

        "So you came to me hoping I knew how." 

        I nod at this and Deucalion lets out a sigh. He glances through the window and watches as Derek continued to play around with the wolf. 

        "Kate made a sacrifice to an Aztec god, a very old one, and Derek is paying the price for it," Deucalion explains to me. "The strongest aspect of himself was stripped away as the most suitable gift." 

        "So how do we get it back?" I ask him. "How do I fix him?" 

        "I don't believe you can," Deucalion answers. "Unless you'll like to attain the wrath of an offended god." 

        "Tell me how." 

        "Diana..." 

        "Duke, tell me," I exclaim. "How do I get his wolf back?" 

        "I will not let you get yourself killed over a trivial matter," Deucalion argues back. "You are still young and alive, but I am not allowing you to make a mistake that could utterly change you." 

        I watch as the slight flare of anger disappears as concern shown brightly through. 

        "If it was anybody else, they would have just told me what to do," I whisper as I continue to watch him. "I'm not someone you want to cross, but you care enough about us to become angry at my stubbornness and refuse to help me..." 

        "Is there a point to this?" Deucalion asks unamused. 

        "Why do you care about us so much?" I ask him.

        Deucalion looks away from my gaze as he ponders his answer. 

        "I owe a debt to Talia for her guidance, to Derek for letting me live..." Deucalion answers. "But you..." 

        "What about me?" 

        "After all the pain and the suffering you've lived through, I don't want this to push you from the thin line you've been dancing in this whole time," Deucalion tells me as his gaze sets on me once more. "I don't want you to turn out like I did. I don't want you to become a lone wolf." 

******

Third POV, Eichen House

        Brunski watched the two teenagers in front of him with a pleased smile on his face. Stiles and Lydia were glaring at the man trying to ignore the classical music coming from his radio. 

        "A thousand." 

        Stiles is baffled by the price. 

        "A thousand dollars?" he chokes out. "To use one little key to open up one little file room? Are you out of your mind?"

        "When you get the keys, you make the price," Brunski replies with a grin.

        "Right," Stiles sighs out with a roll of his eyes. "You actually think we have that kind of money?" 

        "I know you don't," Brunski chuckles out. "If you did, Daddy Sheriff would've paid the bill by now. That's why I'm talking to her." 

        Brunski turns his gaze on Lydia who lets out an annoyed huff as she pulled out her wallet from her purse.

        "I have $500." 

        Brunski takes the money from her and stops the music from his cassette player. He pulls out the cassette and places another one before hitting play. Lydia and Stiles share a look between the two as they take notice of the familiar tapes in Brunski's possession. 

        "Follow me." 

        Brunski whistles as he leads them out of his office and through the empty service halls. He unlocks the file room at the end of the hall and opens the door for them. 

        "Good?" Brunski asks. 

        "Yeah," Stiles answers as he steps inside with Lydia in tow. "We can help ourselves."

        Brunski nods at this and stands guard at the door. 

        "Uh, Lydia, you got the list?" 

        Lydia pulls out the list and hands it over to Stiles. He looks through the names and stops at the handwritten addition at the end. 

        "Lydia..." he calls out to her. "Why did you write another name on here?"

        "I didn't write anything." 

        "This is your handwriting," Stiles points out to her.

        "Why would I write another name?" 

        "Why would you write mine?" Stiles asks as Lydia takes the list for herself to see. 

        The door slams closed and Lydia and Stiles look up to find Brunski staring at them. 

        "It was the tapes, wasn't it?" Brunski asks them.

        Before any of them could responds, Brunski pulls out his taser and tases Stiles into unconsciousness. Lydia screams at this and Brunski just laughs as he steps over the body and looks up at her.

        "Your turn, sweetheart." 

******

Diana's POV, On the Road

        Deucalion is kind enough to walk me out of the cabin. I offer him a smile as we make our way down the few steps and remain a few yards away from a distracted Derek who was still playing with the lone wolf. Derek glances over at me and offers me a gentle smile.

        "He's nervous you know," Deucalion tells me.

        "Probably because we're still here talking to you," I answer with a shrug. "He really doesn't like you and I'm sure we'll get in a fight on our way home over this."

        "I sincerely doubt it," Deucalion responds. "When you both came in earlier, I noticed immediately that something was different about Derek. Not because of his scent or anything, but because of the way his heart was beating rapidly every time he looked at you. I could smell the waves of nervousness and anxiety from him." 

        I couldn't help but laugh at this as I glanced over at Derek. 

        "What does he have to be nervous about?" I ask with amusement as I thought about him through the recent days. "It's not like he's..." 

        "He's what?" 

        "I had a dream the other night," I tell him. "I thought it was a manifestation of my desire, but I think it actually came from him." 

        "I'm sorry, I think you lost me," Deucalion responds. 

        "I uh..." I turn to Deucalion with a smile and pull him into a hug. "Thank you for everything, Duke. I'll keep in touch." 

*

        The drive back home had been filled with the soft lull of classic rock from the radio. Derek had taken the wheel on our journey back and I couldn't help but glance at him from time to time. I had to fight the smile on my lips as I watched him. I couldn't let him know that I was onto him. 

        "So," Derek breaks the silence as he catches my gaze. "What did your friend Duke tell you?" 

        "More jargon," I answer. "Apparently he cares too much about us to let us know how to reverse it." 

        "What do you mean?" Derek asks confused. 

        "Something about ritual sacrifice and angering an old god," I try to explain to him vaguely. "I'll tell you the details later when we're home." 

        "Alright," Derek responds. He glances over at me again and his lips tilt slightly upwards. "Why are you still staring at me?" 

        "What?" I respond with instead. "I can't stare at my hot boyfriend?" 

        "You certainly can but why do you look like you want something from me?" 

        "Because I do," I tell him. "Pull over." 

        "What?" 

        "Pull over," I repeat as the smile continued to grow on my lips. "Just off to the side. This won't take long." 

        Derek doesn't question me again and does as I told him as he pulls the car aside. I step out of the car and make my way to the trunk and open it. I sit on the back and motion for Derek to join me. He offers me a questioning glance but I just offer him a smile. 

        "Isn't the sunset lovely?" I ask him as I lean my head on his shoulder. I instantly hear his heartbeat elevate. "Some would say it's romantic." 

        "You know don't you?" Derek asks me with a sigh. 

        "About what?" 

        "Don't play dumb with me," Derek chuckles out as he looks down at me. "How did you figure out?" 

        "Deucalion kind of pointed out your abnormal behavior," I decide to clue him in. "And then I came to conclusion myself." 

        "How?" Derek asks. 

        "Doesn't really matter right now," I tell him. "You're kind of ruining the mood with your questions. There's only one that really matters to me and you have yet to ask it." 

        Derek lets out a laugh as he pulls his bag from behind us and opens it. He digs through the weapons and spare clothes only to pull out the hardcover book he packed up earlier. 

        "A book?" I ask confused. 

        "You should let me ask the questions," Derek replies with a smirk causing me to roll my eyes. "I uh... I want to let you know that I've been thinking about this for awhile. I know we talked about our future together and I don't know why I've been sitting on my hands for this long." 

        I couldn't help the nervous laugh that slipped through my lips as he kneeled down in front of me. His green eyes were shining brightly as he looked up at me with a warm smile. 

        "Took me awhile to find this. My mom hid it really well in the vault." 

        I can't help the shaking of my hands when Derek opens the book to reveal the gold diamond ring inside. 

        "You've loved me at my worst and you've loved me at my best," Derek tells me. "Through thick and thin you've always been there for me even if I didn't want you to be and I want that for the rest of my life. I want you for the rest of my life... and I hope you want the same from me." 

        "Of course I do!" I whisper as tears started to spill from my eyes. 

        Derek smiles at this, "Is that a yes then?" 

        "Yes it's a yes!" 

        Derek quickly slips the ring on my finger and once he does I jump into his arms. I dig my head into the crook of his neck and press my lips to every bit of his skin that was available to me. He chuckles at this as he pulls me closer to him.

******

Third POV, Eichen House

        Lydia and Stiles finally come to only to find themselves tied up to a support beam. They were facing away from each other and as much as they tugged on the rope, nothing would give. Lydia was screaming at the top of her lungs hoping a passing orderly would find them and set them free. 

        "Help us! Help us!" 

        "Lydia, there's a lot of people screaming for help in a place like this," Stiles reminds her as she tried to catch her breath. "I don't think anyone's listening."

        "Well, I'm open to better ideas," Lydia resigns. "Because if you didn't notice all of those suicides were murders."

        "That's why she left you the message," Stiles tells her.

        "She predicted her own death," Lydia says in dejection. "She knew I'd figure it out..." 

        "...Once you were able to predict your own," Brunski answers as he entered the room again. The door slams behind him and Lydia tenses up as he stopped in front of them. 

        "But they weren't murders," Brunski tries to explain to them. "I'm not some serial killer like Ted Bundy going around cutting up college girls."

        "No, you're just an Angel of Death," Stiles spits out with disgust.

        "I don't think you understand my level of commitment to my work here, Stiles," Brunski responds as he kneeled down in front of the boy. "There are people here who don't simply need treatment. They need release. I helped them. I helped Lorraine."

        "You killed her," Lydia snaps at him.

        "I helped her," Brunski corrects her as his focus turned on her. "And now you can help me because there is something about it that's always bothered me." 

        Brunski sets the cassette player in front of her and Lydia shivered at the cold smile he offered her as he showed her the cassette tape before putting it in: Lorraine Martin. 

******

Diana's POV, On the Road

        Derek simply chuckled as he glanced over to find me eyeing my ring once more. I couldn't help myself. It was real. It was on my finger. It was beautiful. I pull one of his hands away from the steering wheel and take it in my own. My fingers interlacing with his as they were meant to be always. 

        "I've got something else to tell you," Derek states as he stared directly at the road.

        I can't help the smile on my lips as I hear the way his heart speeds up. 

        "Got another great surprise for me?"

        "It's a surprise but not a good one," Derek answers causing my smile to quickly slip away. "Diana, I..." 

        "Whatever it is," I interrupt him. "I don't want to know." 

        Derek looks away from the road and looks at me with utter confusion. 

        "You're looking at me in what I assume is the same way I looked at you when I first said I loved you," I whisper feeling an inkling of pain shoot through my heart. "You were so happy when I told you, even though you were angry too, but you were very happy... and that didn't last because I knew that I would be breaking your heart a few minutes later." 

        "I need to tell you this," Derek states. "Keeping secrets have never fared well with us." 

        "You're right," I answer. "Except this time, I'm asking you not to to tell me. Keep your secret and spare me the pain. Please Derek, let me be happy. Let me enjoy being engaged to you." 

        "You're going to hate me when you find out." 

        "I won't," I promise him. "Because I made the choice of not knowing." 

        Derek lets out a sigh and his resolve seems to crumble at the sight of my pleading eyes. 

        "We can talk tomorrow... about this," Derek states. "I don't think you're thinking clearly right now." 

        I shake my head at him but don't get the chance to respond as my phone begins to vibrate with a call. I pull it out and recognize the new phone number knowing it had to be Deputy Parrish. 

        "Parrish?" I ask as I answer the call. 

        "Hey, I'm calling because I'm following my own dead pool lead at Eichen and I can't handle the other one," Parrish states seeming out of breath. 

        "What do you mean?" I ask him in concern. 

        "Long story, but I was snooping around Haigh's computer and I don't think he was doing this alone," Parrish explains to me. "I think he has help and they may be targeting the rest of the pack." 

        "Ok, ok," I state in urgency. "You wouldn't happen to know when this attack is taking place, do you?" 

        "I don't know," Parrish answers. "But I know some of our guys were sent to secure the bonfire going on at school tonight. I'm sure you'll find Scott there."

        "Ok, we're on our way then," I answer. "Good luck on your end." 

        "Thanks, you too." 

        I end the call and turn to look at Derek who's waiting to know what happened. 

        "Gonna have to take a detour, Der," I tell him. "How long will it take to get us to the high school?"

        "Thirty minutes tops?" Derek offers. 

        "Then hit the gas and make it 10," I answer. "Someone's trying to kill Scott."  

******

Third POV, Beacon Hills HS

        Scott tried to keep Malia upright as he tried to make sense of what was going on in front of him. He took the flask from her hand and took a sniff from it.

        "Malia... What's in this?" he asks her. "What did you have to drink?"

        "Just vodka," Malia answers with a groan.

        Scott knew that no amount of alcohol could get a werewolf like this and he soon realizes that this may not be an accidental case as he catches sight of a watching security guard who seemed very invested in what was happening with Malia. 

        "Stay on your feet and keep moving," Scott orders her as he tries to pull her away from the guard and towards what seemed like a drunken Liam. He stops in front of his beta and turns to his friend. "How much has he have to drink?"

        "Not enough to get him like this," Mason answers as he tries to catch a stumbling Liam from falling.

        "Something's happening," Scott tells him. "We need to get them out of here. I think we're gonna have to, um..."

        Scott can't finish his sentence as a wave of painful nausea courses through him and causes him to stumble.

        "How much did you drink?" Mason asks as he watches Scott loose his balance. 

        "Nothing," Scott answers. "Not even a sip."

        Scott tries to keep his focus at the dangerous task at hand and tries to find the missing link to all of their symptoms.

        "It's not the drinks," Scott states as he sees the sound waves emanating from the DJ's speakers. "It's the music."

        Scott tries to ignore the way his sight blurred in front of him as he talked to Mason. 

        "I have to... I have to turn off the music," he tells him. "Don't let them out of your sight." 

        Mason turned to Liam and Malia in front of him and offered them the water bottles he managed to obtain. He didn't understand what was going on and how the music pertained to it, but he went along. Whatever secret Liam was keeping from him must be tied to this somehow. 

        Scott stumbles through the dancing crowd in front of the DJ booth. He manages to make it half way through before he catches sight of the grinning DJ. At the sight of Scott, he seems to lift the volume of the music causing Scott to groan in unimaginable pain. His knees hit the ground and almost immediately two security guards pick him off the ground and take him out of the crowd. 

        Mason was trying his best to sober up his friends when another pair of guards make their way towards them. 

        "Wait... Stop," Mason exclaims as the guards drag Liam and Malia off their seat on the ground. "Hey, what are you doing? These are my friends." 

        "Your friends are overly intoxicated," the guard responds to him. "They need to be escorted out."

        "Okay, I'll go with them," Mason states but immediately gets pushed back.

        "That won't be necessary," the other guard tells him.

        "I said they're my friends..." Mason fights back but the guard pushes him down to the ground. Two guys quickly help him up and Mason now definitely knew that something was deeply wrong. 

        Scott is too much in pain to fight back from the people dragging him away. The next thing he knows he's being dropped on the ground besides Malia and Liam who were slowly becoming unconscious. He sits up against the row of lockers in the abandoned hallway and looks up at the guard who's leading this. 

        "What is that?" Scott asks him as he sees the red tank he's holding. "What are you doing?" 

        "It's gasoline," the guard answers as he opens the container and starts to throw it over them. "Haigh says we gotta burn you."

        Scott tries to stand up after the guard throws the gas can away but he's too slow. The guard quickly kicks him down and kneels in front of him with the lighter. The flame is switched on and Scott's vision blurs. 

        All of a sudden, thanks to an attentive Mason, the music is cut short and Scott's vision, his red eyes illuminating brightly, reveals a clear sight in front of him. 

        Scott grabs the guard’s hand and crushes it simultaneously closing the lighter and extinguishing the flame that was so near to killing all of them in a brutal death.

        Out of nowhere, Diana appears out of the hall and uses the butt of her shotgun to knock the guard out. She looks up to find three more guards heading their way.

        "The one who knocks out the most cops wins," she winks at Derek who appears next to her. "You're down one."

        Derek rolls his eyes at this and immediately runs down the hall and blocks the hits from the first two guards. Diana sets her gun aside before she lunges at the third guard and manages to spin herself onto his back and puts him on a neck-hold. The guards struggles to breath and drops to his knees before passing out.

        During that time, Derek had fought between the remaining two managing to knock them out in the process without getting any bruising hits.

        Diana lets out a sigh at the sight.         

        "I guess it's a tie." 

        Derek lets out a chuckle as Diana picks up her shotgun and makes her way towards Scott, Malia, and Liam. She helps an awakening Liam and Malia up to their feet while Derek helped Scott. 

        "What happened to the gun?" Scott asks him through pants. 

        "You're covered in gasoline," Derek scoffs out.

        Scott nods at this with a crooked smile, "Oh, yeah." 

Eichen House

        "What are you... Brunski, what are you doing?" 

        "Don't worry, Lorraine. It's going to be all right. You're just going to have a little trouble breathing."

        Stiles struggles in his restraints as he hears Lydia's breath pick up at the sound of her grandmother's voice. 

        "Lydia, look at me. Don't listen," Stiles whispers to her. "Okay, don't listen to it." 

        There's ragged breathing being heard and Stiles panics at the sound. 

        "Just focus on my voice, Lydia. Don't listen to it, block it out. Okay?" 

        There's a grunt of pain and Lydia's tears don't stop running. 

        "Lydia?" he asks hoping to tear her focus away from the recording. "Hey, turn it off!" 

        Brunski, annoyed with Stiles' commentary, throws a punch at Stiles which silences him. 

        "Stop!" Lydia shouts but Brunski turns his ire to her. 

        "Then listen... Just listen," Brunski demands of her. "I need your help with this, Lydia." 

        "Please don't..." Lorraine begs in her last breaths.  

        "Here it is," Brunski points out. "This is the part I never understood."

        "Please don't hurt her." 

        "Don't hurt who?" 

        "Ariel," Lorraine whispers in her last breath.

        The cassette stops there and Brunski peers into Lydia's face. She simply turns away from him, void of emotion, not caring to give him the answer that he seeks. 

        Brunski simply scowls at this and cracks his neck before standing up and heading towards the drug cabinet. 

        "We get a lot of teenagers trying to break into our drug cabinets," Brunski decides to tell them. "Most of the time they don't succeed... but you two look pretty clever to me." 

        Brunski pulls out a new syringe and a small vial of a potent drug. He fills up the syringe and makes his way towards Stiles who has stopped fighting against his restraints at the sight of Brunski. 

        "I'll admit, Stiles," Brunski tells him. "I don't have any unusual talents like Lydia, but somehow I just knew we were gonna get a chance to do this again."

        Brunski stabs the needle, but not into Stiles neck, but Lydia's. Before he can plunge the high dosage drug, Parrish appears from the entrance with his gun raised. 

        "Drop it," he instructs Bruski. "Take your thumb off that needle and slowly withdraw it from her neck." 

        Brunski chuckles at the familiar deputy. 

        "Young Deputy," Brunski taunts. "You're just a kid. I bet you've never even fired a..." 

        Before he can finishes his sentence, Parrish pulls the trigger and Brunski is thrown on the ground as the shot went through the right side of his chest. Parrish keeps his gun up as he steps around Brunski to reach Lydia's and Stiles' restraints. He sets the gun down and quickly tugs the restraints loose. 

        "He... He killed my grandmother," Lydia whispers to the deputy. "He was controlling Meredith." 

        Stiles unties himself of the other restraint and stands up with the help of Parrish. 

        "He used her to create the dead pool," Stiles explains to him.

        "And killed her when she tried to help us," Lydia concludes.

        Before Parrish could respond, Brunski's breathy laugh interrupts their conversation. 

        "You... You think it was me?" Brunski asks in amusement. "That I was controlling her?"

        His laugh gains strength as the rest of his body begins to weaken.

        "Idiots... She was controlling me."

        Brunski takes his last breath and Lydia's eyes widen when he realizes that he was right. Lydia thought it was her banshee grandmother who faked her death and rigged all of this, but it wasn't her. She wasn't the one who faked her death.

        "Oh, God," Lydia mutters. "It's not him. He's not The Benefactor." 

        "No," another voice answers her. "And... He wasn't on my list." 

        Everyone in the room turns to face the incomer and find Meredith stepping out of the shadows to reveal herself. 

        "But he was a bad person."


	16. Monstrous

Diana's POV,  _The Loft_

       After tonight's close call with the assassination attempt, I was overdue for a shower and some rest. I make my way downstairs as I towel-dry my hair from my recent shower. I find Derek unpacking our travel bags and setting our weapons back into their respected places. I slip the engagement ring back on my finger before I approached him and embraced him from behind. 

        "We could have saved water if you had showered with me," I tell him as his chuckle vibrates through his chest. 

        "I had to unpack our bags," Derek answers. "I didn't want you to do it." 

        "How sweet," I respond as I press a kiss on his shoulder before letting him go. I round the table and notice the the proposal book and a random scrap of paper. "What's this?" 

        Derek immediately pulls it away from my hold and clears his throat. 

        "If you still don't want to know then you should probably forget you saw that." 

        I let out a sigh and look away from him. 

        "Right," I answer. "Never saw it." 

        "Are you sure you don't want to know?" Derek asks causing me to turn around to face him again.

        "On a scale of 1 to 10 how much is this going to hurt me?" 

        "Diana, I..." 

        "Then I don't want to know," I snap at him seeing the hesitation on his face. "I want to be happy right now. In fact, I'm going to call Isaac and tell him of the good news." 

        "Diana," Derek calls out to me and before I could slip away from the room he pulls me into him. His forehead pressing against my own as his eyes peered deeply into mind. "Marry me." 

        I let out a laugh at this and shake my head at him. 

        "I've already said yes to you, Derek," I tell him. 

        "I mean literally," Derek responds. "Let's go to the courthouse later today, fill out the paperwork, skip the whole ceremony and whatnot. With the way our lives have been who know when we'll have time for it anyways." 

        "But what if I want the whole tux and white ballgown dress?" I ask him. 

        "You do?" Derek asks in surprise. 

        "Yeah, I never got to go through with my quinceañera," I tell him with a shrug. "We had been planning it for months, but after my mom died... well, my brother was too angry and my dad was never home. I didn't really have the loving family to back me up in this joyous occasion so I cancelled it." 

        "What's changed now?" 

        "I have you," I answer with a smile. "I have a pack. I have a family. I have Scott and Stiles and Deaton and everyone else I've grown to care about. When we get married, I want everyone there to share this moment with them." 

        Derek looks down at me fondly. 

        "We elope today," Derek offers once more. "And I'll give you a real wedding tomorrow." 

        I watched him closely trying to understand why he was trying to convince me so badly. 

        "Does this have something to do with the thing I don't want to know about?" 

        "Diana..." Derek sighs out once more. 

        "I still don't want to know about it," I remind him. "I don't understand what the rush is for this but if you want to do it this way then yeah, let's do it." 

        Derek smiles at this and I can't help but get excited about it. 

        "But best believe I'm getting my top-tier wedding," I tell him. "And you will be wearing a black tux with a bowtie." 

        "Bowtie?" 

        "Yup," I answer with a smirk before pressing a quick kiss on his lips. "Let's get ready, Hale. We're getting married today." 

******

Third POV, _Devenford Prep-Field_

        The rain was pouring rapidly around them as they ran. Lori is running through the the rows of busses and turns back to see her brother running closely behind her. She continues to sprint but the floor is too slick with rain that she slips and crashes onto the ground. Brett quickly comes up to her and picks her up the ground forcing them on the run again. 

        "Come on, Lori," he encourages her before he feels the stinging of an arrow hit his shoulder. "Come on. Run! Run!" 

        Brett continues to run after her hoping to cover her as much as he's able to. They didn't know how many assassins were after them but it was safe to say that their chances of survival were slim. Either way, Brett was determined to get his sister out of this alive even if it could cost him his own life. 

        He rips the arrow out of his shoulder and manages to shove away an assassin that got too close. Due to this, Brett barely manages to find his sister and panic strikes his as he watches her turn into the wide open field. 

        "Wait, wait!" Brett shouts as he runs after her. "Lori, stop!" 

        Brett has no other choice but to chase her down into the middle of the field where they are out in the open for anyone to pick them off. 

        "Brett..." Lori calls out to him as she watches the red lasers land on them. "Brett, what's happening?" 

        Brett held her sister close to him as he blocked her away from the aiming crossbows. 

        "Close your eyes."

        Lori does as she's told and Brett can't help himself but close his eyes as well. Brett hears the twinge from the arrow being let go but he never feels the hit. He opens his eyes and finds a split arrow on the ground due to the katana-wielding fox in front of them. 

        "Run!"

        Brett and Lori start to sprint away again while Kira remained behind to cover them. Every arrow shot was split in half by her katana until no more arrows flew. Kira's quick to capture the remains of the arrows before running out of the field before the assassins got the chance to reload. 

_ McCall Residence _

        Scott hangs up the phone and quickly places his jacket on. He picks up both of his motorcycle helmets and starts to make his way downstairs to meet up with Liam who was waiting for him in the living room. The young Beta had seemed shaken up after the near death experience and Scott thought it best to keep him close.

        "Kira found Brett," Scott tells Liam. "They're fine but we've got to go."

        "More assassins?" Liam asks. 

        "Maybe a lot more," Scott explains to him as he hands him a helmet.

        "Different than the ones who just tried to set us on fire?" 

        "I think so, yeah," Scott tells him before realizing the root of Liam's questions. The young Beta was still shaken up about earlier. "How about I take you home?" 

        Liam sets the helmet down on the table with a sigh. 

        "I'm not like you," Liam says in defeat.

        "Not yet," Scott tells him hoping to make him feel better.

        "I don't mean I'm not strong or I'm never gonna learn how to be in control," Liam explains himself. "I mean everything else. You and your friends try to protect everyone. How have you been doing this the whole time?" 

        Scott offers him a sympathetic smile but Liam was still questioning his place in it all. 

        "I mean, how are you all still alive?" 

        "Not all of us are," Scott answers solemnly recalling the people they've lost along the way. Scott takes a deep breath and offers Liam the helmet again. "Let me at least take you home." 

        Liam looks down at the helmet and takes it off his hands resigning himself to return home. 

_BH Hospital_

        Stiles tried to maneuver himself out of the hospital room but Melissa had a tight grip on him. She immediately pulled the boy back into the room and seated him into the bed. 

        "I'm completely and totally fine," Stiles tells her.

        "Uh-uh-uh," Melissa ticks at him. "You completely and totally have a concussion, Stiles. Lie back down. The doctor said you're not leaving without a CT scan."

        Stiles groans as he hears this from her. 

        "We still haven't paid for the last one."

        Melissa turns around and points him back down to the bed. 

        "Meredith is at the station," Melissa tells him. "Your dad said it could take some time but he will get her to talk. Even if I let you go, what would you do?" 

        Stiles lets out a sigh as he takes his seat on the bed once more,

        "Okay, fine," Stiles tells her. "Can you do me one little favor?"

        "Anything," Melissa replies.

        "Can you get me a tape player?"

        Melissa gives him a surprised look having not expected that request from him. 

        "Like cassettes?"

        "Yes," Stiles answers. " _Tapes_." 

        Melissa rolls his eyes at him, "Yeah, I'll see what I can do." 

        "Okay," Stiles exclaims after her. "Tapes, though, please."

 _"Cassettes_ ," Melissa snaps at him before closing the door of his room behind her. Stiles lets out a scoff as he throws himself on the bed. His hand reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out the tape he managed to take without anyone's noticing. 

         _Lorraine Martin._

_ BH Police Department _

        Lydia was patiently waiting outside of the Sheriff's office. Meredith had been brought in from Eichen and Sheriff Stilinski wanted to take the lead in the case. He had tried to get her to talk to him but Meredith was gone in her mind and the Sheriff didn't have much else to do then.

        "What did she say?" Lydia asks him as he stepped out of his office.         

        "Hard to tell," Stilinski tells her. "There were words. I'm not sure there were actual sentences... _Nothing_." 

        "I think we need a psychologist..." Lydia sighs out as he peers through the window to watch Meredith. 

        "Or a medium," Stilinski chuckles out.

        "Is she even competent enough to be charged with something?" she asks him. 

        "If Meredith is The Benefactor, then that means she was competent enough to trick Kate into opening the Hale Vault, competent enough to blackmail Brunski into helping her, and competent enough to create a hit list and pay out money for its completion," Stilinski explains to her. "This girl's practically a criminal mastermind." 

        Lydia was still not convinced of Meredith being the culprit. She was missing something. 

        "There's gotta be a reason why she would do this," Lydia whispers more to herself.

        "I'm only interested in the _why_ , if it tells me the _how,_ " Stilinski responds as he overhears her. 

        "You mean how to stop it," Lydia comments. 

        "After what happened to Scott tonight, this thing's still going," Stilinski reminds her. "The payments could be automatic. And as long as the killers are getting paid, and paid very well, that list is gonna keep getting smaller." 

        "We don't just need to stop the dead pool..." 

        "...We need to stop the money." 

******

Third POV,  _The Loft_

        Derek placed his coat on and ignored the way the button down felt against his skin. It was barely used and it's stiffness made his skin itch. The only reason he was succumbing to this was for Diana. This would be the closest thing they'll have to a wedding if he was meant to die soon. 

        "I don't understand why I have to be here," Peter groans out as he made his way downstairs. "You know how much I loathe dressing up." 

        "I didn't invite you, Peter," Derek responds with a scowl. "You broke into our apartment again and were eavesdropping. You decided to invite yourself." 

        "I only invited myself because I wanted to know what was going on in my favorite nephew's mind," Peter remarks as he fixed Derek's collar that was perfectly fine. 

        "I'm your only nephew," Derek reminds him. "And I can't tell you while she's listening."

        Derek knew his uncle wouldn't stop badgering him until he got what he wanted.  

        "She's not listening," Peter tells him. "She's too busy curling her hair or doing what girls do when they're getting ready to elope after their 6 full hours of engagement." 

        Derek rolls his eyes at Peter and clears his throat. 

        "I'm not going to survive this... my name was picked by Lydia and it unlocked the third part of the dead pool list," Derek confesses to Peter. "And Diana doesn't know because she doesn't want to so I want to give her everything I can while I'm still alive." 

        "And give her everything when you're not," Peter states. "You're giving her your share of the Hale inheritance. If she becomes your wife, she's your next of kin and when you die..." 

        "Yeah," Derek answers with a nod not needing to finish Peter's thought. 

        "I think you must have lost your memory alongside with your wolf because we don't have a dollar to our name, Derek," Peter reminds him. "The Benefactor has been using it to fund his vendetta."

        "I remember," Derek answers. "But I have other assets she can use and it'll have to make do." 

        Peter shakes his head at his nephew. 

        "I would still make her sign a prenup if I were you," Peter tells him. "Maybe she's just in it for the money." 

        Derek rolls his eyes at him and shakes his head. 

        "She loves me and I love her," Derek states as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Which is why I have to make a quick phone call."

******

Third POV,  _BH Animal Clinic_

        Scott shook himself of the rain and sets his helmet aside. Kira was the first to greet him at the door and they both shared a smile after not seeing each other for so long. 

        "Is your mom..." Scott starts to ask.

        "She's okay," Kira tells him. "Healing."

        "What about you?" 

        "Me?" Kira asks confused. 

        "Are you okay?" Scott asks her.

        "Right now?" Kira asks as she peered up at him in warmth. "Very." 

        Scott presses a kiss on her lips and Kira lets out a sigh as he pulls away. 

        "Did you find him?" Scott asks her. "Did you find Brett?" 

        "Actually," Kira responds as she tugs at his hand to enter further into the clinic. "I think I found all of them." 

        Scott walks past the front desk and stops at the sight of the crowd inside the med room. Kira steps away from Scott and walks towards the elderly woman who was comforting the young members of her pack. 

        "Satomi," Kira calls out to her as she motioned to Scott. "This is who I was telling you about."

        "I know who Scott McCall is," Satomi states as she peered at the young True Alpha before her.

        Scott doesn't get to greet her as a hand tugged his sleeve.

        "Are we safe here?" Lori asks him.

        "We're gonna need help," Scott answers as he turned to Kira. "A lot of help." 

_ BH Police Department _

        Lydia cracked her neck and shoved the jacket laid on top of her away from her body. She let out a small groan as she stretched a bit and waited for the Sheriff to tell her what happened after he called the psychiatrist from Eichen. He let out a sigh as he stared down at the waking Banshee who had sat outside his office the whole night.

        "I thought I told you to go home," Stilinski tells her.

        "I thought I told you I wasn't going anywhere," Lydia answers as she glanced at Meredith through the window. "Did they get anything out of her?"

        "Should have gone with the medium," Stilinski responds with a shake of his head.

        Deputy Parrish makes his way back to the office and goes directly to the Sheriff's office. 

        "We went through everything in Brunski's office and so far everything amounts to pretty much nothing," Parrish reports to him before turning to Lydia. "Did you not go home yet?"

        "Not until Meredith starts talking," Lydia tells him.

        "Lydia, I promise she'll talk," Stilinski assures her. "And when she does, I'll let you know. Trust me on this. Everybody talks eventually."

        "Then let me try," Lydia requests of him.

        "No," Stilinski immediately responds. "We've already discussed this." 

        "I've gotten through to her before," Lydia tries to reason with him. "Just let me try." 

******

Diana's POV,  _The Loft_

        I tried to figure out what to do with my hair but nothing was going my way. I let out a sigh before tensing up at the sound of footsteps on the staircase. I quickly place my robe on and try to cover the dresses that were laid on the bed. 

        "Derek, don't come in!" I shout. "I'm nowhere near ready and the groom isn't meant to see the bride before the ceremony." 

        He clears his throat and a voice I hadn't expected speaks up. 

        "It's actually me," Deaton speaks up. "Derek said you'll probably want me here." 

        I let out a sigh as I move to open the door and find him truly here. I can't help but hug Deaton as I tried to calm myself of the jitters that were running through me. 

        "You ok, Diana?" 

        "Yeah, I'm fine," I tell him as I pull away. "I just never thought I'll elope but here I am." 

        Deaton chuckles at this and enters the disarray of the bedroom. 

        "What are you doing here?" I ask him. 

        "Derek called me," he answered. "He's already left to the courthouse with Peter. We'll meet them there once you're ready."

        "But  _why_ are you really here?" I ask him again. "I would think you would be trying to talk me out of this. You have to admit this is pretty impulsive." 

        Deaton takes a seat across from me and takes my hand in his. He peers down at the ring and admires it for a second before looking up at me. 

        "You love him and he loves you," Deaton answers. "Something you thought would never happen and it did. You deserve this, Diana. You've always deserved it." 

        I can't help the smile on my lips as I pulled him into another hug. 

        "Walk me down the courthouse aisle?" I ask in his arms. 

        "I would love to," Deaton answers. "But you need to get ready and soon." 

        "Right," I answer as I try not to let my tears slip. I pull myself away from him and pick a random white dress from my closet before heading into the bathroom to change. When I come out, Deaton hands me a golden hair pin and I quickly pin my hair back. Having already done my make-up I was ready to go and Deaton offers his arm ready to take me down the aisle.

_ BH County Courthouse _

        Deaton and I stood in front of the courthouse doors as I took a deep breath to calm myself. Deaton stood firmly next to me and he glances over at me awaiting for my sign. I close my eyes and listen to the way Derek's heart is beating rapidly inside the nearby room. I open my eyes and look over at Deaton and nod. 

        He opens the doors and we both step inside. Peter is the first one who sees me before tapping Derek's shoulder and directing him my way. 

        His green eyes shine brightly at the sight of me and every step I take towards him seems to send his heart in a frenzy. His smile was as big as mine as Deaton hands me to him. 

        "You reek of anxiety," I whisper to him. 

        "You had me waiting for quite awhile," Derek answers with a chuckle. "Thought you got cold feet." 

        "I could never," I respond. "I'm determined to see you in a bowtie." 

        We both turn away from each other, hands still intertwined, and faced the patient judge. 

        "Ready?" he asks. 

        "Yes." 

        Derek hands over the needed paperwork we had filled out earlier and slides our ID's forward. The judge overlooks them quickly and hands our things back. 

        "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Derek Hale and Diana Cruz," the judge recites to us. "Now if anyone has any reason to stop this union speak now or forever hold your peace." 

        The judge pauses for a second and quickly continues on. 

        "If it's your intention to join into marriage join hands and repeat after me..."

       _"I, Derek Hale, take you, Diana Cruz, to be my wife. To have and to hold, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."_

I couldn't help the way I blushed as Derek watched me closely with every word he said.

        _"I, Diana Cruz, take you, Derek Hale, to be my husband. To have and to hold, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."_

Derek's smile grows brighter as I said this and I was restraining myself from jumping into his arms. 

        "Do you have any tokens you wish to exchange?" 

        I was about to say no but Derek quickly pulls something out of his pocket. 

        "Yes, we do," Derek answers as he pulls out a gold band to slip through my finger. I couldn't help but stare at him in question wondering when he had time to get these. "I told you, I've been planning this for awhile." 

        I shake my head at him before taking the ring he was offering and placing it in his finger. 

        "Sign here," the judge instructs as he hands him the form. Derek signs it and then hands me the pen so I can sign my name in the next slot. Once done, the judge stamps the form and signs his own name. 

        "According to the state laws of California, I now pronounce you, _husband and wife_.”

******

Third POV,  _BH Hospital_

        Stiles didn't particularly enjoy the trick that Melissa had done in locking a visiting Malia into the room. Though he does have to admit the results were pretty good seeing as Malia had finally forgiven him for not telling her about Peter. Forgiving Melissa was easy too as she brought a cassette player soon after she unlocked the door. 

        " _Let's go, Lorraine._ " Brunski states. 

        " _Listen to me. Please listen. There's something I have to do, something I have to stop._ " 

        _"I have to take you back to Eichen, Lorraine."_

Stiles increases the volume on the cassette player and tries to listen more clearly. 

        _"No... No. I don't think you're gonna be taking me anywhere. I can hear the recorder in your pocket. It's on now, isn't it? You're making a tape. Just like you taped the others."_

Stiles stops the cassette and tries to make sense of the bit he heard.

        "This didn't happen at Eichen House," Stiles discovers.

        "But then where did she go?" Malia asks him. 

        "That's what we need to find out." 

        Stiles turns back to the cassette player and rewinds it to the beginning hoping he'll find another big clue. 

        _"Get back to Eichen, Lorraine."_

_"No. No. I don't think you're gonna be taking me anywhere."_

Malia stops the cassette and points at it eagerly. 

        "That's it," Malia exclaims. "That's where it is. Play it again and turn it up."

        Stiles rewinds the tape and plays it again.

        _"No. No. I don't think you're gonna be taking me anywhere. I can hear the recorder in your pocket. It's on now, isn't it? You're making a tape. Just like you taped the others."_

Stiles stops the cassette and watches as Malia concentration pays off.

        "It's the record player," Malia points out.

        "What record player?" 

        "The one in the lake house in the study," Malia tells him as she recalled Lydia's attempt to get the cypher key. 

        "So she escaped from Eichen House to go back to listen to a record player?" Stiles asks confused. 

        "Well, she was like Lydia, right?" Malia explains to him. "She was a Banshee?"

        "Yeah, but only once," Stiles tells her. "She predicted Maddy's death and then just spent decades trying to predict something else." 

        "Maybe she finally did," Malia explains to him. "And what if this time, it wasn't just one death, it was a lot of deaths?"

        "Like the dead pool," Stiles concludes. 

        "What if all those years ago Lorraine predicted it?" Malia asks. "And she knew there was something in the study that could stop it?" 

        Stiles picks up his jacket and swings it on. 

        "Then we're going to the lake house."

_BH Police Department_

        "I think I'm getting an idea of how all this happened," Lydia states as she paced in the Sheriff's office. The Sheriff and Deputy Parrish were monitoring the conversation as Meredith watched Lydia from her seat on the couch. "You used Brunski, right? You knew he'd killed people and that he would do it again." 

        Meredith doesn't respond and Lydia takes a seat next to her hoping this will gauge a reaction from her. 

        "He used my grandmother's code for the dead pool. He put it online. He took the money from the Hale Vault then turned the bearer bonds into cash." 

        Meredith still remains silent. 

        "He made the payments," Lydia continues to watch her face to see if Meredith would give something up. "Was it Brunski's idea to fake your death? Did he get nervous because you helped us with one of the cipher keys?" 

        "I wanted to help," Meredith answers with a small smile.

        "All you ever wanted to do was help," Lydia states. "Is that why you're here? I know you wouldn't want to be here if you didn't want to talk." 

        "I do," Meredith tells her. "But only to one person." 

        "Who?" Lydia asks. 

        "Peter," Meredith answers as her smile grows. "Peter Hale." 

_Argent Arms International_

        Chris makes his way inside the abandoned warehouse and sets his rifle and bag down. He kneels in front of his safe and starts to unlock it. Chris opens the latch and pulls out the yellow wolfsbane flower from his bag. It took him a while to track it down but he finally managed it and he locks it away until the chance comes to light. 

        He hides the safe away under the panel and was ready to take his leave before he noticed the new foot prints that led further down the warehouse. Chris takes up his rifle up and follows after the trail. He sees a shadow through one of the tarps and Chris was ready to pull the trigger before a steel pipe tears through the border and grazes him in the shoulder. 

        The riffle is dropped but Chris immediately pulls out the second gun from his waist and aims it at a wolfed out Brett. 

        "Wait!" Scott shouts as he runs out to them. "Wait! Brett! This is his place. It's his." 

        Chris sets down his weapon as he watched Scott pull away the beta. 

        "Scott... If you bring in guests, you could have called," Chris tells him as he noticed the crowd hiding out behind the tarps.

        "I didn't have anywhere else to take them," Scott explains to him.

        Satomi steps away from the remainder of her pack and steps up to Chris. 

        "I know this man," Satomi states. "He may not remember, but we've met before." 

        "You can trust him," Scott tells her. "I trust him." 

        "How do we know he's not like the others?" Satomi asks. 

        "What others?" Chris asks confused causing Kira to step up with the arrows she picked up.

        "Last night, there was a whole team after them," Kira tells him. "And they used crossbows."

        Chris takes up the split arrows and inspects them briefly. 

        "They're hunters, aren't they?" Scott asks. 

        "Not if they're killing for profit," Chris answers. "Not anymore." 

        "Can they find us?" Brett asks them. 

        "They might already know you're here," Chris answers. " Maybe they're waiting for dark." 

        "So we're not safe here?" Kira asks.

        "We're not safe anywhere," Satomi answers. "We've been trying to get out for days. Everywhere we turn we find someone new trying to kill us." 

        "If they're coming, Scott, they're coming for you too," Chris points out. "You're still number one on the dead pool." 

        "I know," Scott sighs out. "I know Lydia can get the answer from Meredith. She just needs more time." 

        "Then that's what she'll get," Chris tells him as he looked down at the arrows in his hands. He was ready to crush them and throw them aside but stops when he catches sight of a familiar insignia embed in them. 

        "Scott," Chris calls out to him. "I don't think you're the only one they're targeting." 

        "What do you mean?" 

        Chris holds up the arrowheads and reveals the prominent cross that stood out in all of them.         

        "Call Diana," Chris tells him. "She needs to see this."

*****

Diana's POV,  _ Argent Arms International _

        I remove the golden hair pin in my hair and pull my hair into a ponytail. I ignored the questioning look from Scott and Kira at my appearance as Chris pulled out the arrows for me to see. I take them out of his hand and inspect the cross-insignia that they had mentioned to me over the phone.

        "That's the Cruz's insignia," I sigh out as I crush the arrows in my hand. "It's Marcos. He's here after me and he brought some friends."

        Derek hands me the bags I had in the car and I start to pull out the weapons we're gonna need. 

        "We've got you covered, ok?" Scott tell me. "You don't have anything to worry about."

        "The thing is I do," I respond. "Marcos wants me dead. He thinks it's my fault I ruined his life and maybe he is right, but he doesn't get to come to my home and try to kill everyone I love."

        "We'll be fine," Derek tells me as he loads his own gun.

        "Yeah, you will be," I say as I pull out my blades having my mind made up. "I'm going to kill him."

        I make my way to a private corner of the warehouse and change out of my dress. I start to pull on the extra outfit from the bag and discard my impromptu wedding gown. I make my way out of my remote corner and join Derek and Scott. 

        "They'll be okay," Scott tells Derek as they overlook Satomi's pack.

        "They've got claws and fangs," Derek answers. "But they're not fighters." 

        "That's why I called you," Scott states. 

        "Well, try to remember I don't have claws and fangs anymore either," Derek reminds.

        "Which was why Chris called me," I say as I step into their conversation. "I know how Marcos' mind works. I call dibs on him." 

        "Am I the only one still hoping this is all just a false alarm?" Kira asks as she set her katana down. "I mean, it's possible we could wait here all night and nothing happens. Right?" 

        We all share a look of disbelief and I turn to Scott. 

        "Have you heard anything from Stiles or Lydia yet?" I ask him. "Parrish updated me on the Eichen situation." 

        "Lydia's still talking to Meredith," Scott tells me. "Stiles and Malia are headed to the lake house. They're trying to stop it." 

        "What if there is no stopping it?" Brett asks us. "What if it doesn't end until we're all dead?" 

        "Then let's send a message," Derek states as he looked past us and towards the whole pack. "Let's make something perfectly clear to anyone with a copy of that list. It doesn't matter if they're professional assassins, hunters, or an amateur who just picked up a gun. Anyone who thinks they can hunt and kill us for money is gonna be put on another list. _Our list_. They get to be a name on our dead pool." 

******

Third POV,  _BH Police Department_

        Meredith was sitting in the middle of the interrogation room. Deputy Parrish continued to pace in front of her as he stood on guard. Everyone else stood on the other side of the glass and watched Meredith. Peter looked confused as he turned to the Sheriff and Lydia. 

        "Her?" he asks them. "That's the girl that stole my money?"

        "That girl is a Banshee," Lydia responds with annoyance. "They're more dangerous than you think." 

        "Oh, I think that girl's pilot light went out a long time ago," Peter remarks before turning to Stilinski. "Sheriff, not to question the unquestionably sterling reputation of your department, but are you absolutely sure you got the one?" 

        Sheriff Stilinski didn't like that he had to bring Peter into this but he needed to shut this case. 

        "How about you just go in there and see what she has to say?"

        "Okay..." Peter sighs out as he leaves the office and enters the room. He takes the seat across from her and Meredith looks up immediately at him. "Meredith, where's my money? Or more correctly, what's left of it."

        Meredith doesn't respond and simply reaches out her hand to touch Peter's face. Peter is quick to grab her wrist and Parrish pulls out his gun and aims it at him. 

        "Let her go," Parrish exclaims. "Let her go." 

        Peter slowly sets her hand down onto the table and seems disturbed by her act. 

        "Why did you do that?" he asks her. 

        "They're all gone," Meredith answers. "The burns. They're all... gone." 

        Lydia reacts in horror after hearing the short exchange between the two.

        "Oh my God," she whispers. "They have met before." 

        Peter seems to grow angry as he hears this from her. 

        "Meredith, you put everyone, including my nephew and my daughter on a death list," Peter snaps at her. "Don't you think you owe us the slightest explanation of why?" 

        "You said it had to be kept secret," Meredith answers.

        " _I said?_ " Peter repeats. "I said that to you?" 

        "You said it," Meredith tells him again.

        "Meredith, allow me to remind you yet again, we have never met..." Peter states. "Ever."

       "You don't remember?" Meredith asks him as a flash of hurt crosses her face. 

        "No," Peter answers as he steps out of his seat and rounds the table. "But maybe you do." 

        Deputy Parrish tries to step between them but Peter throws him aside and latches his claws into Meredith's neck. Lydia and Sheriff Stilinski storm into the room. Both officers raise their guns but Lydia stops them from pulling the trigger. 

        "Don't!" Lydia shouts at them. "Don't touch them. If you break the bond you could kill them. Both of them."

        "What are we supposed to do?" Stilinski asks confused. 

        "I, uh... I don't know," Lydia mutters unsure.

        "What the hell is he doing to her?" Parrish asks. 

        Peter and Meredith were at a standstill before they hear Meredith take a deep breath. All of a sudden, she starts to whisper but not loud enough for the mortals to hear. 

        "Do you hear that?" Stilinski asks softly. "She's saying something."

        Parrish can't understand what she's saying but he notices Lydia's distant stare.

        "Can you understand that?" Parrish asks her. 

        "I can," Lydia tells him as she closes her eyes to concentrate. "I can hear perfectly." 

        Meredith continues to whisper and Lydia gets the direct story from her. 

        "She was in the hospital," she translates for them. "The same hospital." 

        "Same as who?" Parrish asks.

        " _Peter._ " 

******

Diana's POV,  _Argent Arms International_

        I tucked my daggers into the inside of my combat boots before tucking the spare rounds into the pocket of my jacket. Derek makes his way over me and I offer him a tight smile as I prepare myself for what was coming. 

        "Here," Derek states as he offered me a simple gold necklace. "My mother used to place her rings on the necklace in case she shifted. Protected them from getting damaged." 

        I let out a chuckle as I take the necklace out of his hand and slipped my rings on it. 

        "You really need to stop with these gifts," I tell him as he takes the necklace back and helps me put it on. "I'm getting used to receiving them." 

        "You deserve them," Derek answers as he pressed a kiss on my forehead once I turned back around.

        "Hell of a honeymoon, huh?" I joke at him. "I guess I should have expected this." 

        Derek chuckles at this, "Reminds me how I never took you out on that date. I guess we did things out of order again." 

        "Yeah, but I don't mind it," I tell him. "It's just our thing." 

        "About what you said earlier..." 

        "Derek..." 

        "Are you really going to kill Marcos?" Derek asks me shifting the topic. "He's your brother." 

        "He stopped being my brother the moment he took a shot at me," I answer. "I should have killed him when we saw him months ago. Missed my chance and now he's taking his... trying to kill me and everyone else." 

        "He won't succeed," Derek tells me. "We won't let him." 

        I offer him a small smile, "I'm going to take the lead on this, Der. You stay out of the way and protect the kids. Keep yourself safe, please? For me?" 

        "You trained me for this," Derek responds. "I'm not leaving you to face them alone." 

        Before I could respond to this, an alarm starts to sound through the warehouse. 

        "They're coming!" Chris shouts from his end of the warehouse. 

        I look back at Derek and watched as he clicked the safety off. 

        "Shoot first, asks questions later," I state as I looked over at him. "And watch my back." 

*****

Third POV,  _BH Police Department_

        "It was right after the fire," Lydia continues to translate as she focused on Meredith's whispers. "Meredith could hear him."

        "Hear what?" Sheriff asks her. 

        " _Everything,_ " Lydia answers. "She was hearing every thought in his head like they'd somehow found the same wavelength. And now everything going through his mind was also going right into hers." 

        "For how long?" Stilinski asks.

        "Weeks," Lydia tells him. "Maybe even months. It was almost like he was standing right over her bed talking about the fire. About getting revenge." 

        Meredith continues to whisper as Peter kept his clawed hold on her. 

        _"Perfectly safe. But she made us weak! She made us weak. And what happens to the weakest in the herd? They get picked off by the predators! We used to be the apex predators. Until Talia turned us into sheep. But I'll start over. Like a vengeful God, I will raze this earth to the ground! I will take out all of them!_ "

        Lydia heard Peter's speech in horror knowing now who was the real mastermind of this all.

        " _Not just the wolves, but the Wendigos, the Banshees, every shape shifter. I will obliterate the weak and I will remake the supernatural of Beacon Hills in my image. I won't have to do any of it myself. Because I'll hire people. Assassins. Professional killers. People like The Mute. The Chemist. Even... Someone like the Desert Wolf. I'll use the money in the Vault. The bearer bonds. I'll use every penny if I have to. I'll start with the professionals, and then maybe I'll disseminate the list further. No. No. Not a list. A dead pool. Eventually everybody will want a chance. Anyone can become a killer for the right price because when it comes down to it, everyone can be corrupted by money!"_

Peter breaks away from his hold on Meredith and breathes heavily as he recalls it all. Lydia watched him closely as the officers beside her raised their guns once more.

        "It was your idea," Lydia states in horror. "And you don't even remember." 

_Martin Lake House_

        Stiles and Malia stood in the middle of the study not knowing what they were really searching for. Malia sets the record player but all they can hear is slight static. Stiles lets out a sigh as he realizes the pointless use of them being there. 

        "What are we doing?" Stiles asks in stress. "This room wasn't even made for us. No, we need someone like Lydia or Meredith, and we're just sitting here listening to a stupid record player play a record that doesn't play anything."

        Stiles stops the record player in resignation and Malia doesn't fight him on this. 

        "Come on," he tells her. "There's plenty of other things we can be totally useless doing."

        Stiles heads towards the door and opens it but Malia stops in her tracks.

        "Stiles."

        "Yes?" Stiles asks as he turns to her. 

        Malia is scowling and Stiles wonders why. 

        "I can still hear it," Malia tells him as she turns back to the room.

        "But it's not on," Stiles points out.

        "Then it's something else," Malia explains to him. "Something spinning." 

        They make their way back into the room and Malia follows her hearing to the source. Malia stops at the record player and they both look around it. Stiles stops when he notices the cable connected to the wall. He pulls on it and immediately starts to tear through the wall. 

        "Uh..." Stiles mutters as the wall starts to tear apart through the cable. Malia tears the rest of it away and reveals the spinning sound that she kept hearing.

        "What is this?" Malia asks him.

        "A dead pool." 

******

Diana's POV,  _Argent Arms International_

        Gas canisters are thrown all around us and Derek is quick to spin me around from them. The canisters explode with a flash bang before smoke starts to cover all around us. I immediately pull Derek onto the ground as I hear the click of a rifle being loaded. Lasers started to shine through and I waved everyone down. 

        "Get back!" I shout. "Get down!" 

        Rounds of bullets are shot in the air as they try to hit an invisible target. Chris immediately leans out of the column that is covering him and starts to shoot back. Derek rolls away from the open and finds cover behind a desk. I try to peer through the smoke and take in account the bulletproof vests and black helmets they were wearing. It was hard to tell who was who from the whole crowd. 

        It doesn't take long for everyone to gather themselves from the attack and return with one of their own. Kira steps up wielding her katana and I hear Scott's growl echo nearby. I take my place next to Derek as we take cover behind the columns and try to shoot as many of the assassins down. 

        "How many are there?" Derek asks as he covers my back.

        "Too many!" I shout as I clear out two of the attackers. "Where is he? Where's my brother?" 

        "I'm out!" Derek shouts. 

        "Here," I tell him as I hand him my gun.

        "Diana, this is your gun?!" 

        "I've got these," I answer as I reveal my claws. "I'll be fine." 

        I notice the red light aiming behind me and I'm quick to shove Derek out of the way as the shot is taken. I dodge the incoming bullets and let out a growl as I lunge into the soldier in front of me. I tear off the helmet from his face and stare down at the startled face. 

        "Marcos," I greet with a snarl. "Nice to see you again." 

******

Third POV,  _BH Police Department_

        Peter looked at the Sheriff in disbelief at the gun being pointed at him. Meredith was recovering in Lydia's arms while Parrish stood in front of them to protect them from another possible attack from Peter. 

        "Are you kidding me?" Peter exclaims. 

        "Hands where I can see them," Stilinski orders.

        "How the hell was I supposed to remember any of that?" Peter tries to reason with them. 

        "She got it from you," Lydia states.

        Peter lets out a sigh, "I was out of my mind! Do you know what it's like for one of us to be in a coma? Paralyzed but cognizant? You try not going crazy."

        "She was listening to you," Parrish repeats.

        "She was listening to the ranting and raving of a lunatic," Peter explains to them. "A _former_ lunatic. I'm much healthier now. I had nothing to do with this." 

        "If she was following your lead on this then how do we know there isn't more?" Stilinski asks him. 

        "Stealing my own money? Really?" 

        "You were going to use it anyway," Stilinski answers him.

        "Stop," Lydia interrupts them. "Stop it. This is what she wants. It's why she's here." 

        Lydia lets Meredith go and everyone turns to look at the Banshee. 

        "Look around, Sheriff," Lydia tells him. "There's three people in here right now. Three people still on the dead pool. Me, Parrish... And Meredith." 

        "But not him," Parrish states.

        "Lydia's right," Peter remarks. "We don't want to kill each other."

        "The only person I'm pointing a gun at is you," Stilinski reminds him.

        "Then you better make it a perfect shot, Sheriff, because I don't go down easy," Peter snaps at him.

        "I'm willing to bet that a bullet between the eyes doesn't heal real fast..." Stilinski threatens. "Not even for your kind." 

        Peter lets out a growl and Lydia knew that things couldn't afford to get messy at the moment.

        "Stop," Lydia exclaims once more. "Please, stop." 

        "This department's getting more corrupted by the second," Peter exclaims. "What are you going to charge me with, Sheriff? How are you going to explain this to a judge? Telepathic girl overhears thoughts of comatose werewolf and decides to enact his plans for retribution?"

        Peter clicks his tongue at the Sheriff and no longer feels threatened by the guns being pointed at him.

        "They're gonna be pointing a gun at your head and asking you to go quietly," Peter tells him. 

        The Sheriff still turns off the safety of his gun but Lydia immediately tries to reason with him again. 

        "Let him go," Lydia tells him. "You have to let him go." 

        "I'd take the word of a Banshee, Sheriff," Peter responds with a growing smirk. "I leave. No triggers pulled. No blood shed."

        Sheriff Stilinski lets out a sigh as he turns the safety back on and puts the gun down.

        "That's twice, Peter," Stilinski threatens him. "There's not gonna be a third." 

        Peter only offers a grin for a response as he waltz out of the interrogation room without a scratch. Seeing this, Meredith starts to leap out of her chair and Parrish has to restrain her.

        "No! It's not finished!" she shouts. "No, it's not finished! No! It's not... It's not finished!" 

******

Diana's POV,  _Argent Arms International_

        Marcos shoves me off him and I quickly gain my footing. The riffle that he held had been discarded by my sudden attack and I couldn't help but chuckle as Marcos immediately positioned himself to fight me. 

        "Really, brother?" I ask him as I fling out my claws. "No hello?" 

        "I'm here to kill you," Marcos states. "Nothing else." 

        "Then let the practice begin," I respond as I positioned myself. "Let's see who abuela trained better." 

        Marcos lets out a yell after this and lunges at me. I quickly avoid the hits he comes with knowing that the brute force behind them were due to his anger. 

        "Come on, Marcos," I yell at him. "Harder! You blame me right? For being abuela's favorite? For dad dying? For mom?" 

        "You are the reason everyone's dead!" 

        "And you're the reason I became the way I am," I argue back. "You were supposed to be my brother and you abandoned me out of spite. The only person you should blame is  _you_!" 

        Marcos attacks me once more and I let him crash me against the nearby pillar. HIs hand closes on my throat and I can't help but chuckle. 

        "Kill me," I tell him. "Go ahead and do it." 

        Marcos hesitates and the wild in his eyes makes me realize why my grandmother ran Marcos out of her home. He was completely unhinged but parts of my brother, the one I once knew, was still there.

        "Allow me to return the aged-old favor, brother..." I taunt at him as I place my hand on his wrist. "All you do is squeeze until you hear a crack." 

        I wrap my hand on his wrist and tighten until I hear a crack. Marcos yells in pain and I swipe my leg under him causing him to fall on his back. 

        "Our parents raised us to hunt monsters," I tell Marcos as he starts to scramble away from me. "Not to be those same monsters." 

        I kneel down next to him and let out a sigh. 

        "Which is why I'm not going to kill you," I state as I caught him by surprise. "Because then I become like you, Marcos, someone who would kill their own flesh and blood for revenge. You are no longer the brother I looked up to so when you leave here tonight just know that if you decide to pull the same stunt of killing me and my pack, I won't be inclined to forgive you again. Walking out of here, I don't _know_ you anymore." 

******

Third POV,  _Martin Lake House_

        Stiles had called the only person he knew would be able to crack the code, or well, the mystery of the whole dead pool. The video call was the only way to get Lydia onto the scene quick and she was growing annoyed by Stiles' lack of keeping the phone stable. 

        "You see it?" Stiles asks her as he showed Lydia the spinning machines. "There's got to be a way to turn it off, right?" 

        " _I don't know,_ " Lydia answers as she tried to make sense of it. " _I don't know anything about computers from the 1970s_."

        "Neither do we," Malia sighs out.

        " _Okay, where's the monitor?"_ Lydia asks them. 

        "Lydia, there is no monitor," Stiles exclaims as he swung the phone around unintentionally. "There are buttons, knobs, spindles, no monitor." 

        " _Wait, turn the phone back_ ," Lydia states. " _Point it at the carpet_." 

        "The what?" Stiles asks confused. 

        " _The floor!"_ Lydia states. " _Just show me the floor_." 

        Stiles directs the camera to the floor confused as to what could have caught her attention. 

        " _Where's the stain?"_ Lydia asks. " _There should be red blotches, a wine stain_." 

        "There's nothing," Stiles points out.

        " _That doesn't make sense,_ " Lydia tells him. " _I gave the $500 I was supposed to use to hire cleaners to Brunski."_

"Lydia, what the hell does wine have to do with anything?" Stiles asks. 

        " _Red wine doesn't just disappear,_ " Lydia tries to explain to him before she stops. "... _Unless it wasn't wine_."

        "What?" Stiles exclaims. "What do you mean?" 

        " _The study isn't a study. The record player isn't a record player. So... So maybe the wine wasn't wine,"_ Lydia thinks through. " _Stiles, you have to find the wine_. _Find the bottle. There could be something about it."_

"What kind?" Stiles asks. "What's it called?"

        " _It's a 1982 Cotes du Rhone."_

Stiles hands the phone off to Malia as she runs downstairs to retrieve the wine. In a matter of seconds, Malia can hear him sprinting back to the room. The wine bottle was practically empty but it rattled when shaken. 

        "I think there's something inside," Stiles states. "Do you have, like, a wine opener or..." 

        Malia doesn't waste her time as she grabs the bottle from Stiles and throws it on the ground. The glass splits across the white carpet before a single key appears. Malia is quick to pick it up and they both look up to the machine in front of them wondering how the key fit in to it all. 

******

Diana's POV,  _Argents Arms International_

        "Derek!" I shout as I try to figure out the crowded battleground. I knock out two distracted mercenaries but they seem to keep popping up at an alarming rate. "Derek!" 

        A metal pipe is flung in my direction and I duck under it just in time. A grunt sounds behind me and I glance back to find a mercenary's body dropping onto the ground. 

        "You should really watch your back," Satomi states as she tore away the ripped tarp. 

        "And you should watch yours," I answer as I saw a red light aiming right at her chest. I quickly pull the daggers out of my boot and aim right behind me. The Chinese daggers land on the mercenary's bullet proof vest. He drops to his knees and I send a hard kick to his face knocking him out completely. 

        "You're good," Satomi states as I walk over and pluck our weapons back. 

        "So are you," I answer as I hand her steel pipe back. "Is everyone safe?" 

        "For now," Satomi answers as we watch each other's backs. "There's more than we had previously expected." 

        "Well maybe it's time we stop fighting with weapons," I state as I tuck my dagger back into my boot. "If they came hunting for wolves then maybe it's time they get one."

        Before I'm able to shift, I feel a bullet go through my shoulder and Satomi catches me as I stumble. I let out a groan of pain as she drags me towards cover.

        I let out a growl as my claws and fangs slipped away due to the sudden pain. Satomi steps away and watches me in awe. 

        "I didn't realize you were an Alpha," she states. 

        "What?" 

        "Your eyes," Satomi answers. "They're red." 

        I return to my human self as gunfire continues to rain around us. 

        "I don't..." I tell her. "I don't know what you..." 

        The sentence on my lips never gets finished as a beep echoes through the warehouse causing all gunfire to stop. Satomi and I look around just to watch all the mercenaries leaving the warehouse, guns raised, until they were all gone. I look around confused as to what happened. 

        "Diana!" 

        I look around for Derek and make my way towards his voice. I find him soon and let out a sigh of relief as I find him unharmed and well. 

        "You're ok," I tell him as I pull him into an embrace. 

        "So are you, kind of..." Derek answers as he notices the blood in my shoulder. "Are you ok?" 

        "Yeah," I state with a nod. "Is it over? Is the dead pool over?"

        Derek looks around and nods as a smile grows on his lips. 

        "Yeah," Derek answers. "It seems like Stiles somehow worked it out." 

        I can't help but smile too as I watch Satomi reunite with her pack who remained unarmed and alive.

        "Let's head home," Derek tells me. "We've got more reasons to celebrate now." 

        I let out a chuckle and found myself having to deny him this simple request. 

        "I'll uh... That'll have to wait," I respond to him. "I have to meet with Deaton. I uh... we have something to talk about and it's urgent." 

        "Urgent?" 

        "Very," I answer with a sigh. "I'll meet you at home soon, ok?" 

        I press a kiss on his lips and don't wait for his response as I picked my duffel bag and head out of the warehouse to find the answers I was looking for. 

******

Third POV,  _BH Police Department_

        Lydia grabbed her purse and was ready to walk out of the police department. It had been a very long day but the success of it overcame the tiredness that she felt. She managed to crack the last key to it all and the dead pool was no longer circulating. Her friends were safe but Lydia couldn't return home yet. Not when Meredith remained seated in the Sheriff's office confused as to why Peter rejected her and her plan. 

        Lydia made her way into the office and took the seat next to her. 

        "Are you okay?" Lydia asks her. Meredith doesn't respond but her solemn expression was all the answer she needed. "I guess you are, aren't you? For someone who'd put their own name on a hit list." 

        "...I had to," Meredith answers.

        "Why?" Lydia asks.

        "Because I heard you," Meredith tells her. "I heard you scream in the tunnels at Oak Creek." 

        _Allison!_

        Lydia can't help but close her eyes as she recalled the scream of that dreadful night.

        "That's why I knew it was the right time..." Meredith explains to her. "To start over." 

        Lydia inhales sharply at this. 

        "But with Peter?" 

        "He's the Alpha," Meredith answers. "He's always been the Alpha. He'll make it right. It never was with us. Too many people died because of us. We're the monsters. Even Banshees. Even _me_." 

        Lydia shakes her head. 

        "I don't believe that," Lydia tells her. "Not all monsters do monstrous things." 

        "Like who?" Meredith asks her with genuine curiosity. 

        "Like Scott," Lydia answers without hesitation. 

        Meredith watches her closely and it suddenly strikes her.

        "Like you," Meredith whispers as she touched Lydia's face. She shudders as she realizes what she's done and the guilt quickly sets in. "Oh God. What have I done?" 

******

Diana's POV, _BH Animal Clinic_

        I run through the parking lot and stop at the front door that displayed the _Closed_ sign. The rain hadn't stopped pouring and I was drenched from head to toe. The door was locked but Deaton's car was still in the lot. I start to knock on the door and try not to panic as to what I learned on my way here. 

        Luckily, Deaton makes his way to the door and unlocks it for me saving me from the torrential rain and my reoccurring panic-filled thoughts. 

        "I would have assumed you would be with your... husband," Deaton states with a shudder. "Is something wrong? Did Derek do something?" 

        "No, I uh..." I answer with a sigh. "I did something wrong... I don't know what's happening to me." 

        Deaton looks up and I reveal my eyes to him. I didn't even have to ask to know that they were reflecting red. 

        "What's happening to me?" I ask him in fear. "Is this... Does this have to do with Derek losing his powers? Did I somehow gain them?" 

        Deaton lets out a sigh as he motions me to take a seat on the table. 

        "I'm sure there's an answer to this, Diana," Deaton assures me as he turned his back on me and pulled on his gloves. "Why don't you shift into your wolf and let me check-up on you?" 

        "That's the thing, Deaton," I try to explain to him. "I can't." 

        "You can't?" Deaton asks in concern. "What do you mean?" 

        "She won't answer me," I tell him. "My wolf won't respond. I tried to shift on my way here and I couldn't. I don't know what's going on, Deaton. What is wrong with me?" 

        Deaton takes a deep breath and motions me once more to take a seat. 

        "I know exactly what's going on with you," Deaton tells me. "There's nothing to worry about because it's happened to someone before." 

        "Ok," I let out a sigh of relief knowing my panic was needless. "With who?" 

        "Talia," Deaton answers with a sigh. "Talia Hale."


	17. A Promise to the Dead

Third POV,  _Eichen House_

        The unconscious wendigo was strapped onto the gurney and was being wheeled away into a locked and mountain-ashed lined containment room. Deaton and Dr. Fenris watch the patient being taken away and resume their walk down the hidden level of Eichen House. 

        "While I'm relieved to have Patrick back in our care, I still need to advise you against doing this, Alan," Dr. Fenris states as he spoke to his old colleague. "There's a reason this floor isn't listed in the brochure."

        "I came through on my end of our bargain," Deaton answers as he referred to the wendigo he captured with a bit of help from Diana. "Now it's your turn. All I want to do is talk to him." 

        "The last person that went in to see Valack left the room but not the building," Dr. Fenris warned him. "All they did was talk."

        Deaton doesn't let the warming to dissuade him from his mission.

        "I'll keep that in mind." 

        Dr. Fenris lets out a sigh as he stopped in front of the designated door. He unlocks it with hesitance and Deaton offers him a grateful nod before making his way inside. 

        The containment room was split in half. A glass wall that was lined with mountain-ash split the room from patient to visitor. Deaton took in the shadow that was seated on the small bed with a small stack of books organized beside it. 

        "Dr. Valack?" 

        "You must be important," the man answers as he peered at the incoming figure. "They don't usually let people get this close. They let me read. Unfortunately, all I get are these trashy romance novels. I've read this one seven times." 

        The book in his hand is thrown into the pile in disregard. 

        "I was hoping we could talk," Deaton states as he stopped a safe distance from the wall. "My name is Dr. Alan Deaton." 

        "Oh, I know your specialty, Dr. Deaton," Valack answers as he stood from his bed and stopped in front of Deaton. "And I know it's not cats and dogs." 

        "I'm here because of what you know about South American mythology," Deaton tells him ignoring the statement Valack was trying to distract him with.

        "No," Valack corrects him with a grin. "You want to know about Kate Argent. You want to know about _La Loba_. The Bone Woman." 

        "I need to know what she did to Derek Hale," Deaton states. "And if he's dying." 

        "Why?" Valack asks in curiosity. 

        "Because Derek Hale is about to be a father," Deaton answers. "And the woman he loves has no idea that he's destined to die." 

        Valack can't help but chuckle at this, "Maybe you should write the romance novels." 

        Deaton sighs at this and watches as Valack starts to undo the bandage wrapped on his forehead. 

        "If you want to know more, Dr. Deaton, you have to come closer," Valack insists.

        "I've been advised against that," Deaton responds. "I only want to talk" 

        "To hear what you know, you need to see what I know," Valack explains to him. "You do that by coming closer." 

        "I don't know much about trepanation," Deaton states as he takes in the open wound on Valack's forehead, "But I'm relatively certain that just because you drilled a hole in your own head, it doesn't mean you've somehow gifted yourself with extra-sensory perception."

        "Come a little closer," Valack repeats. "Take a look for yourself." 

        Deaton doesn't know what draws him to take a step closer to the wall but he does. 

        "That's it," Valack says as his voice seemed to hypnotize and draw his prey closer. "Come and have a look. Come on." 

        Deaton stops at the wall and stares into the open wound in the middle of Valack's forehead. Nothing but flesh was there but all of a sudden an eye blinks open and all of Deaton's senses are lost. 

******

Diana's POV, _The Loft_

        The loft was quiet when I finally made my way back home. All the lights were shut off and Derek was no where downstairs. I could hear his soft snores coming from upstairs and I didn't have the heart or the mind to wake him. If I did then I had to tell him and I didn't really want to deliver this news in such a casual way so I decided to simply throw my wet coat onto the coach and try to dry my hair before climbing into bed with him. 

        I pause at the end of the bed as I watched the way his arm curled around my pillow. It was as if he was trying to grasp the closest thing that resembled me in his sleep. I let out a sigh at the sight as I slipped under the covers and pulled the pillow out of his arms. The small shift seems to awake him slightly and his green eyes slowly blink in my direction. 

        "You're home..." he mumbles half-asleep. 

        "I am," I whisper in response as I make myself comfortable. 

        His arms immediately pull me into his body and I feel his legs entangling with mine. He lets out a comfortable hum that vibrates through his chest as his head tucks itself into the crevice of my neck. 

        "I tried to stay up for you but it got pretty late." 

        "I'm sorry about that, Der" I answer as my fingers brushed against his hair. "I guess I just lost track of time." 

        "What did you and Deaton talk about?" Derek asks and I could feel him steering himself awake. I quickly hush him and pressed a kiss on the top of his head. 

        "Shh," I whisper as I allowed my own eyes to close. "We've had a long day and we need to sleep. We'll talk in the morning." 

        Once again, Derek hums in contempt at this and settles down once more. I allowed the calm, steady beating of his heart to drive me into the hands of sleep. I was close to falling into the depths of dreams before the alarm of the apartment starts to ring through the apartment and stirs me awake.

        Derek and I immediately leap out of bed and grab the weapons out of their respected hiding places. I motion for Derek to stand behind me as we make our way downstairs. I check our surrounding but find no one lurking in the shadows. I hear a heartbeat coming from behind the front door and I cling the dagger tightly. 

        "Derek," I whisper as his focus turns to me. I nod towards the door and he picks up the sign. We both make our way to the front door and Derek slides it open. 

        I quickly swing out my dagger and Derek lifts up his gun but we quickly put them down as we take in the sight of our late night guest. 

        Lydia Martin was standing right in front of us and I let out a sigh of relief at the sight of her. I was about to ask her what she was doing here in the middle of the night only for her icy stare to explain it all. 

        The Banshee's scream fills the air and I can't help the hand that reaches for my stomach. 

******

Third POV,  _McCall Residence_

        Scott quietly makes his way inside his house and sets the motorcycle helmet down on the counter. He looks up and finds his mother's back facing him as she stood in front of the dining table. Scott takes notice that they're both standing in the dark and presumes that she's upset for coming home so late without giving her a head's up. 

        "Hey, sorry I'm back so late," Scott tells her. "Deaton needed me to close up the Animal Clinic. I got more hours to earn a little extra..."

        Melissa turns around and drops the open sports bag full of money for Scott to see.

        "...money." 

        "How much more did you need?" Melissa asks sarcastically. 

        "This is payment from the dead pool," Scott explains to her as he made his way beside her. "I found it in Garrett's locker." 

        "This belongs to Derek?" she asks receiving a nod from Scott. "So you're just keeping it safe for him in a gym bag underneath your bed? How long have you had it?" 

        "Too long," Scott sighs out. 

        "You know you have to give it back, right?" Melissa asks him as she gave him a knowing look.

        "I was going to," Scott tries to explain. 

        "Do I want to know why you haven't?" Melissa hesitates to ask.

        "Because of you," Scott answers quickly causing Melissa to falter.         

        "Me?" Melissa asks with a sigh. "You mean because we've been struggling a little?" 

        "Mom, we're struggling a lot," Scott corrects her.

        "Scott, you can save people's lives, but you cannot save them from life," Melissa explains to him. "Life is full of struggle." 

        "But it doesn't have to be," Scott tries to reason with her.

        "Honey..." Melissa sighs out.

        "Do you know what just one of these can do?" Scott exclaims as he grabbed a stack from the bag to make every one of his points. "This gets us a new roof. And this pays for Stiles' MRI. This pays for Eichen House. And this one means you don't have to work the double shift at the hospital and come home totally exhausted."

        Melissa lets out another heavy sigh as she reached into the bag for a stack of bills.

        "What about this one?" 

        Scott glances down at the stack and takes notice of the blood stains that were scattered throughout. Melissa walks out of the kitchen without another word and Scott realizes how wrong he's been this whole time. 

*****

Diana's POV, _The Loft_

        I set the two mugs down onto the coffee table and take a seat next to Derek as he looks into the red sports bag that Scott brought by before he headed to school. Scott was fidgeting as he continued to slip his hands in and out of his pockets as Derek took in the small amount returned from the stolen deadpool money. 

        "Okay," Derek states as he sat back and picked up his cup.

        "Don't you wanna know why it took so long to return it?" Scott asks confused as he stared at the both of us. 

        "How much do you make at the Animal Clinic?" Derek asks. 

        "Minimum wage." 

        "That's why," Derek answers with a soft smile. "Everyone can be tempted, Scott. Even a True Alpha." 

        "You guys aren't angry?" Scott asks us. 

        "It's not even mine," Derek explains to him. "It belongs to Peter." 

        "Where's your money?" Scott asks in confusion. 

        "You're standing on it," Derek answers. 

        Scott immediately looks down at the ground before a look of realization settles on his face. 

        "There's another vault?" Scott asks us causing a laugh to slip from my throat. 

        "Oh Scott," I answer tenderly. "No, Derek owns the building." 

        " _We_ own the building," Derek corrects as his arm settled over my shoulders. "And I have my own bank accounts. All the money from the vault was Peter's. I think we'd actually be better off if the rest never came back."

        Derek takes a sip from his mug and grimaces at the taste.

        "Oh, this is not coffee," Derek states as he peered down the cup. "What is this?"

        "Chamomile tea," I answer as I reached for his cup to switch them out. I must have accidentally switched our cups when I brought them over. "This one's yours." 

        "Since when do you like tea?" Derek asks in surprise. 

        "Since we've gotten married," I answer with a wink.

        "You know, Stiles is bitter that he got left out again," Scott remarks. "You do know that he's been shipping you guys from the very beginning right?" 

        Derek rolls his eyes and I can't help but laugh at hearing this. 

        "Don't worry Scottie," I tell him as I stand up from my seat and pick up the sports bag that Scott had dropped off. The money had to be placed in a more secure location than a simple sports bag. "Derek and I will be planning a real wedding soon and everyone will be invited."

        Scott nods at this and I wish him a good day of school as I start to make my way upstairs with my cup of tea in hand. I set the bag down in our bedroom and was letting my tea cool down on the night table while I started to prep the bath I was going to take. As I waited for the water to reach it's perfect temperature I overheard the conversation that was ongoing downstairs. 

        " _I know Lydia was here last night_ ," Scott states causing Derek to let out a sigh. " _Deaton's still working on figuring out what Kate did to you. If anyone can find an answer, it's him_."

        I let out a sigh of my own as I hear this and take a seat on the edge of the bathtub. My hand grazed my stomach and I take a deep breath at the thought of the life that was growing inside of me. 

        Lydia's visit had frightened me as I thought back to the time where I believed I was pregnant. Just the guise of a false pregnancy had broken me and the thought of a miscarriage, of being pregnant and losing my child, could break me utterly. 

        I shut the water off and slipped my bathrobe off before stepping into the bathtub. The aroma of vanilla starts to filter through the air and I could feel myself relaxing at the scent and the warmth of the water. I close my eyes and can't help but recall my recent visit with Deaton. 

         _"I know exactly what's going on with you," Deaton tells me. "There's nothing to worry about because it's happened to someone before."_

_"Ok," I let out a sigh of relief knowing my panic was needless. "With who?"_

_"Talia," Deaton answers with a sigh. "Talia Hale."_

_A moment of silence passes between us as Deaton stood in front of me with a soft expression on his face._

_"Do you know how someone can turn into a werewolf?"_

_"You know," I sigh out in annoyance. "I'm getting real tired of people asking me that question."_

_Deaton chuckles at this and slips his gloves off in the process._

_"There's the bite, drinking water out of a werewolf's paw print,_ _and by a scratch if the claws go deep enough," Deaton lists off. "Of course there's one more..."_

_"Being born one," I answer._

_Deaton gives me a knowing look and I let out a laugh at the insinuation._

_"You're not honestly saying I'm..." I start to say before I take notice of the way his gaze softens. "...I can't be right?"_

_"Talia Hale couldn't shift into her wolf form when she was pregnant with Laura, Derek, and Cora," Deaton explains to me. "And the act of creating a beta explains why you are no longer one. By creating a beta you became an Alpha again, Diana."_

        My hand once again rubs my stomach and I can't help the smile that grows on my lips. Though Lydia's visit gave me reason to doubt this ounce of happiness I've received, I had to tell Derek of the big news.

******

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills HS_

        Lydia flipped through the pages of her notebook and settled into a blank page. Her thoughts should have been organized and focused but ever since she found herself at the loft starring at a concerned Derek and Diana, she couldn't shake off the feeling that things were far from being over. 

        "Lydia? Lydiaaa," Malia calls out to her as she waved her exam in front of her face. "Did you hear me?" 

        Lydia snaps out of her thoughts and looks over at Malia's test. 

        "Look," Malia points out. "I passed. _C-minus_. Your notes are great when they're not written in code."

        Malia's victory is cut short as Coach Finstock slams her recent test on her desk. A glaring red _F_ was circled at the top and Malia slumps in her seat.

        "Disappointed, Malia," Coach Finstock mutters as he passed her desk. "Profoundly disappointed." 

        Malia lets out a sigh and glances over at Lydia. 

        "I'll send you my notes," Lydia tells her causing Malia to perk up.

        Lydia picks up her pen and shifts her focus to the front board only for her mood to falter. The words written for today's class made her doubt her sanity. 

_Network at Time of Death: Adjusted for Inflation_

_JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER: 318 BILLION_

_CORNELIUS VANDERBILT: 150 BILLION_

_HENRY FORD: 188 BILLION_

Kira takes notice of Lydia's hesitance and leans over her desk to assure her that things were back to normal... or as normal as they could be. 

        "It's over," Kira tells her. "The computers are off. No more assassins. No more murders. No one's dying." 

        Lydia can't help but think back to her scream knowing that there was one more death that she had predicted. 

        "Not yet." 

_BHHS Weight Room_

"That's a lot of weight," Mason points out as he took in the large weights that are lined up on each side of the bar. Liam nods at this and settles himself on the bench. 

        "I'm trying to get ready for the game tomorrow," Liam explains to him.

        "You need a spot?"

        "No," Liam answers before nodding towards the light dumbbells that Mason was lifting. "Do you?" 

        "This is my warm-up, you ass," Mason chuckles out before setting down the weights and moving to stand behind Liam as he settled himself under the bar.

        "Wait, what are you doing?" Liam exclaims. 

        "I'm spotting you," Mason answers.

        "I said I don't need one," Liam grits out.

        "Are you kidding me?" Mason responds as he stepped away. "This is like 300 pounds. You're gonna kill yourself." 

        Liam takes in a deep breath and settles himself under the bar once more. Without a second to spare, Liam lifts up the heavy bar and does two reps proving to Mason that he wasn't in need of his help. 

        "Do I look like I need help?" 

        Mason shakes his head at him confused at his friend's sudden shift in mood. It had been happening a lot recently and though Mason had expressed his concerns time and time again, Liam brushed him off and acted like he didn't know what Mason was talking about. 

        Mason lets out a sigh and makes his way out of the weight room and leaves Liam on his own to bench press. Liam begins to lift again but with every rep he does, he receives flashes from his fight with the Berserker on the hospital roof. The visions come faster, his breaths shorter, and his strength fails him as fear captures every ounce of his body. The 300lb bar drops onto his chest and Liam begins to struggle as he can't lift the bar back to its hooks. Unable to move it, Liam begins to suffocate under all the weight and the cries of help are stuck in his throat. 

        Out of nowhere, a hand reaches over and lifts the bar off Liam's chest. The young Beta coughs uncontrollably and looks up to find Diana looking down at him in concern. 

        "I'm fine," Liam coughs out. 

        "You don't look fine, puppy," Diana states as she motioned for him to take a seat in order to regain his breathing.

        Liam ignores the nickname and narrows his gaze on her as she passed him a bottle of water. 

        "What are you even doing here?"

        "My boyfriend, I mean,  _husband_ kicked me out of the apartment because he's planning something," Diana answers as she kneeled down in front of the new Beta. "I didn't know where else to go and I need to clear my head of a few things so I came here. The place where that started it all." 

        Liam doesn't want to fall down whatever rabbit hole that was Diana's thoughts and simply let her return to the present on her own. 

        "What are you still doing here?" Liam asks her. "You saved me. I'm good now." 

        "I seriously doubt that," Diana answers as her gaze softened at the sight of Liam's conflicted expression. "You look like you need to talk to someone." 

        "You offering?" 

        "I am," Diana answers with a soft smile. 

        Liam narrows his eyes at her as resentment grew in the back of his mind.

        "Why?" Liam asks. "Why would you waste your time on me?" 

        "Because," Diana answers as she made herself comfortable and pulled a stepping stool to sit in front of the beta. "I used to know someone like you. Someone who was filled with anger and fear and was at a crossroads." 

        "Who?" Liam asks noticing how her stare had strayed again. 

        "My brother, Marcos," she answers with a sigh. "I couldn't help him and he... well he turned against himself and everyone else. I couldn't help him because I was going through the same thing which led me to a dark path too but one that I managed to get out of because of the people who helped me along the way."  

        Diana offers a small smile to Liam who seems to take in what she told him. 

        "You remind me of him, you know?" Diana tells him. 

        "The lost case that is your brother?" Liam asks feeling disheartened. 

        "Yeah," Diana answers with a chuckle. "But you also remind me of Isaac who also reminded me of Marcos." 

        "What happened to him?" 

        "Isaac's a Beta like you and he joined Scott's pack after this whole ordeal with another pack and etcetera. He's in France right now because he needed some space from it all." 

        "Are you saying that I should move away too?" Liam asks confused. 

        "No, I just..." Diana lets out a sigh as she thought of how to phrase this properly. At this moment, Mason makes his way back into the weight room and takes in the sight of the discarded bar connecting the obvious dots. Diana turns to Liam and offers him a smile as she stood up from her seat. "If you don’t want to be with us, with Scott, that’s okay but don’t push your friends away too. You're going to need them when you least expect it, puppy.” 

_Stormwater Lair_

        Chris Argent rounds the corner of the underground water network with his gun raised. He lowers it when he sees no imminent danger but keeps his guard up as he continued to walk through. Water was dripping and running under him and Chris was beginning to lose hope as all of his trails were winding up cold. 

        He stops and kneels down to the drainage beside him. His hand skims the water's edge and he picks up the discarded bone that was floating to the top. It wasn't that hard to recognize this as a part of the berserkers's armor. Before Chris could continue his search, he felt a presence approaching and immediately stood up and raised his gun towards a looming Peter. 

        "How'd you find her?" Chris asks him. 

        "Keen sense of smell," Peter replies with a grin. "You?"

        "This came out of Scott's side," Chris answers as one of his hands pulled out a long dagger from his pocket. "There were traces of calcium hydroxide on it. It's used by water treatment plants as an anti-corrosive." 

        Peter can admit he's amazed by the tracking skills of the veteran hunter but it was threatening to his plan and he could not proceed further from this. 

        "You tracked Kate and her Berserkers all the way down here," Peter states as he glanced down at the gun that was still being pointed in his direction. "That's very impressive. I wonder if one of them might still be around."

        A snarl is heard from behind Chris and he immediately turns around to find a berserker rounding the corner. With his back turned, Peter takes this opportunity and attacks Chris. A storm of gunshots echo through the tunnel as three creatures begin to fight amongst themselves.

        It doesn't take long for Peter to beat Chris down into a bloody mess. He sends the berserker away and deals with the beaten hunter himself. A steel rod was in Peter's hands as he stepped up to the elder Argent. 

        "Unfortunately, while I promised Kate I wouldn't kill you, I also can't let you leave." 

        Peter forces the steel rod through Chris' stomach causing the hunter to immediately see black spots in his vision. His consciousness is slipping but he had to fight to remain awake. Chris' hands reach for the steel rod hoping to pull it out with his remaining strength but Peter tsk's him away. 

        "No, no, no," Peter whispers as he takes up the rod again. "Allow me."

        Chris moans as he feels the steel rod bend and rooting him in place. He was pinned against the wall and his vision was now fading in and out.

        "Now you rest here for a while," Peter states as he left the Argent hunter alone on the underground network to die a slow and painful death. "You've had a hard time for a very  _long_ time." 

******

Diana's POV,  _Lookout Point_

        "You know, when you said you were planning something, I assumed it was going to be a candle-lit dinner in the comfort of our own home," I state as Derek parked his car at the edge of Lookout Point. "Not a picnic at the edge of a cliff." 

        "I'm making up for lost time," Derek argues in his defense as he motioned for me to step out of the car with the picnic basket in hand. "Besides, Scott needed the loft for his own first date with Kira."   

        "Which brings me back to my previous question as to what are we doing out here," I state as I follow him to the trunk of the car. "They're the high school sweethearts. They should be out here with a picnic and we should be at home doing what married couples do in honeymoons." 

        Derek doesn't respond and instead opens up the trunk and reveals the piles of pillows, blankets, and rose petals scattered around. Twinkling lights were turned on and they draped over the roof of the car. Any remarks I had were gone as I took in the sight of what Derek had set up. 

        "Wow," I whisper [at the sight of it](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/169940585923449311/). "You really outdid yourself." 

        Derek smiles at the compliment and motions for me to get in. I make myself comfortable while he climbs in after me and sets the picnic basket between us. 

        "Is this our bed?" I ask as I recognize the comfort under me. 

        "Why do you think it took all day?" Derek asks me. "Had to carry this thing down a lot of flight of stairs." 

        I can't help but chuckle at this as I leaned into the pillows and watched Derek pull out the dinner he packed. There was a cheese plate with an array of fruits and breads. A thermo was pulled out next and then containers filled with steaming pasta. The bottle of white wine was taken out last and I glance at Derek in question. 

        "It pairs nicely with the cheese," Derek explains.

        "Just one glass," I tell him as he pops the cork out. 

        Derek doesn't question the request and pours out the wine onto the glasses he brought along. 

        "You know, I'm offended that you took me out here for our first date," I tell him as I grin behind my wine glass. 

        "Why?" Derek asks in concern. 

        "Because you think I'm easy," I answer with a chuckle. "Just because you brought me to  _Makeout Point_ doesn't mean I'm going to put out tonight." 

        Derek can't help but laugh as I say this and I join him too. 

        "That wasn't my intention," Derek states. "I was just... making up for lost time." 

        "What do you mean?" I ask as he said this before. 

        "When we were in high school," Derek starts to explain to me. "This would have been the place I would have taken you for our first  _real_ date. I wouldn't have a car back then so it would be a real picnic with us setting up on the ground. I would have made a camp fire if it was cold and wrapped my arm around you to keep you warm. We would have watched the sunset and the lights of the city once the moon was up." 

        "You would have kissed me when I least expected," I tell him as I imagined it. "I would be stunned and would probably be frozen for a bit before I started to kiss you back. We would have made out." 

        "Yeah, we would," Derek sighs out as he peered down at me. "And we would talk too and I would have fallen deeper in love with you than I had cared to admit back then." 

        "I would too," I tell him. "Fall in love with you and being afraid to admit it." 

        "You would fall asleep on my shoulder without knowing it," Derek continues on with a smile. "And I wouldn't want to wake you so I just stayed... until I fell asleep too." 

        "And we would wake up in the morning and I would freak out because my dad and brother would find out I had sneaked out to go out on this date with you." 

        "So I would clean up quickly and run back home with you," Derek states with a grin. "I would help you sneak back into your room because it turns out that your dad and brother hadn't woken up yet." 

        "And before I closed the window to my room, I would lean out and give you one last kiss." 

        "And I would ask you out on another date," Derek whispers as his eyes shifted down to my lips. 

        I couldn't help myself and so I pressed my lips softly against his and felt the way he melted into me with the simple kiss. 

        "I would kiss you again," I whisper as I pull away from him. "And say yes." 

        Derek kisses me once more and I'm attentive enough to set the wine glass away as he rolled himself over. I welcomed the heaviness that settled over me and melted into the kiss further. 

******

Third POV, _Stilinski Residence_

        Malia was looking over Lydia's notes as she was sprawled out on Stiles' desk. With Malia overtaking his bed, Stiles settled on his desk as he worked on a paper he had procrastinated on working on due to supernatural dead pools and life-threatening phenomenons that had taken over his time. A knock on the open bedroom door breaks them from their work-focus as Sheriff Stilinski made his way inside with a smile on his face. 

        "Drop what you're doing," he tells them. "I'm taking you both out to dinner. Whatever you want." 

        "Dad, I don't think a man of your debts should be treating anyone to anything," Stiles sighs out as he leaned back on his chair.

        "Well, there's one debt we no longer have to worry about," Stilinski explains to him as he handed Stiles a letter.

        "What is that?" Stiles asks as he takes up the letter and begins to skim it. 

        "It's a letter of apology from Eichen House," Stilinski answers. "Apparently, they've decided to forgive our debt due to... Well, you and Lydia almost getting murdered."

        Stiles looks up from the letter with a shocked expression.

        "They can do that?" 

        "They can do it and they did it," Stilinski states with a relieved smile. 

        "I have never been so happy to have almost been murdered," Stiles exclaims in relief.

        "Well, we're not out of it yet," Stilinski reminds him. "But... We're going to be okay. And at least for the moment, I can afford to take my son and his girlfriend out to dinner."

        Sheriff Stilinski turns to Malia who had been watching the whole interraction with joy.

        "Malia, what's your favorite food?" 

        "Deer," Malia answers honestly.

        " _Pizza,"_ Stiles corrects her. "She likes pizza." 

_The Loft_

        Scott and Kira's first date was going pretty well even though there were some minor mishaps with Scott's set-up. Though they lacked the TV and they quickly grew disinterested in the Star Wars movie franchise, Scott and Kira were still enjoying their time together. For the first time in awhile, they were by themselves and as teenagers tend to do on overdue dates, they were making out with a desire that had been building up for quite some time. 

        Though all of it comes to a stop as Scott hears an intruder approaching. He pulls away from Kira, ignoring her questioning gaze, just in time for the glass window to break as a berserkers burst through and landed in a crouch. Kate Argent soon stepped through the entrance made jaguared-out with fangs and claws. 

        It didn't take long for things to get messy. In fact, Scott was wondering if it was all a figment of his imagination as he blinks awake and finds the extending lights that he had hung up swaying over him. Suddenly, pain begins to flare up through all of the injuries scattered around his body. He glances down to find a berskerer holding him up before launching him against the steel door. 

        Kira hadn't faired any better against Kate as the were-jaguar had years of training and the strength of many moons to knock out the young kitsune with one swift kick. 

        Scott forces himself to recover and Kate lets out a growl as she moves to fight against him. The True Alpha is more better suited to fight against Kate as their skill and strengths are equally matched. Yet weakness can still be found especially when loved ones were involved with the battlefield. 

        Scott's focus had faltered at the sight of a berserker looming over Kira's unconscious body ready to strike the final blow. Kate uses this moment of distraction to her advantage as she punches him in the throat and flings him towards a cement beam. Scott can't recover from this and doesn't want to as he watches the berserker hold Kira hostage. 

        The True Alpha manages to set himself up and leans against the beam for support. He looks up at Kate in confusion wondering what this was all for. 

        "What do you want from us?" Scott moans out. 

        "I want a little bit of insight, Scott," Kate growls out. 

        "To what?" he asks. 

        " _My family_ ," Kate answers as she crouched down in front of him. "The Argent family has been around for over 400 years. A powerful, wealthy, aristocratic family of werewolf hunters. But yet somehow, in less than a year, this great family is decimated by a teenage boy." 

        Scott's fear grows as Kate's glare settled on him. 

        "So my question is simple," Kate continues. "What the hell is so special about Scott McCall?" 

        "You want me? _Take me_ ," Scott exclaims as his gaze shifted on Kira. "Just me." 

        Kate shakes her head at this as a grin appeared on her lips. 

        "No, we're all going," Kate states. "We're all going to church!" 

******

Diana's POV,  _Lookout Point_

        I woke up feeling a harsh warm light pressed against my face. I slowly blink myself awake and notice that the sun had risen awhile ago and that I was on my own. I brush my hair away and do a mild stretch before stepping out of the trunk of Derek's car to search for him. 

        It didn't take long to find his scent that trailed through the preserve. I found him soon enough staring at the empty plot of land that used to have the Hale residence. Derek glances over as I make my way down the hill and offers me a smile. 

        "I'm glad I found you, husband," I greet 

        "I knew you'll find me, wife," Derek states as I wrap myself around him. 

        "What are you doing all the way out here?" I ask him. 

        "Just thinking," Derek answers. 

        "Well that's dangerous," I comment causing Derek to rolls his eyes at me.

        "Ha ha," he mutters dishearteningly. "You're so funny." 

        I can't help the smile on my face as I peered up at him. 

        "What were you thinking about?" 

        "You, as always," Derek answers as his smile fades away into a pensive scowl.

        "Well that's nice," I answer. "I was thinking about you too. I have something to tell you." 

        "Me too." 

        "Well you go first," I tell him as I felt my nerves rising at the big news I had to share.

        "I uh... I was thinking about buying this property back from the city," Derek states. "Build the house up again and you can live here. You can shift whenever you wanted to because there'll be no one around and have your daily runs. There'll be enough bedrooms for the pack to stay over if they want to and you'll never be left alone because someone's bound to always be here. I'll make sure house is secure so there won't be any other tragic mishaps. You can start over again." 

        "Oh and we could pave a driveway and set up a basketball hoop over there that you can use," I state as I imagine it. "And we could host cookouts and movie nights. Our kids would grow up so happy because everyone would be here and we'll be one big family." 

        "Yeah," Derek sighs out. "But this is about you right now." 

        "What?" I ask confused. 

        "I mean, we rushed everything, Diana," Derek explains. "Not that I don't love it. It's what got us here and I love being married to you, but kids is something we can wait on. Especially since I haven't really... been myself lately." 

        "Right," I whisper as I tried to keep the smile up on my face. "You're right..." 

        "So," Derek states as he looked down at me. "What did you have to tell me?" 

        "Oh, uh..." I stammer out as I tried to come up with a lie. "Well, I just... I wanted to say sorry for coming home late last night. Deaton needed my help in catching a rogue wendigo before it killed again and it took awhile to help him track him down." 

        "Well I don't see why you need to apologize but you're forgiven," Derek responds.

        I nod at this forgetting for a moment to keep the relaxed smile on my face. This causes Derek to instantly catch my mood change and he calls me out on it. 

        "You ok?" 

        "Yeah, yeah..." I answer as I smiled up at him once more. "It just puts things in perspective, you know? How dangerous Beacon Hills can really be. Maybe Isaac was smart enough to get out before it could get worse." 

        "Are you suggesting that we should move away?" 

        "Maybe," I answer with a shrug. "Your plan of making our house here is amazing, Derek, and I love it but you also have to consider what we've been through here and what we can still go through." 

        "But everyone we care about is here," Derek points out. 

        "They are," I answer with a sigh. "But Scott and Stiles haven't really relied on us in a while. Scott's an Alpha now and he's been doing well in taking care of the pack without our guidance. So maybe we should consider it..." 

        Derek nods at this and I could see his hesitation shine through. There seemed to be some kind of urgency between us and what we should decide on. I knew mine derived from the baby in my womb, but Derek... well I couldn't even imagine what time crunch he was so concerned about. 

        "Let's head back to the car," Derek states. "Scott texted me that he's still at the loft so we should probably steer away from heading home for awhile more." 

******

Third POV,  _BH Lacrosse Field_

        "They're still not here," Liam mutters nervously as they suited up for their game against Devenford Prep. The young Beta tries to stifle his fear but is unable to as he glances around him nervously.

        "Okay, what's really going on?" Stiles asks Liam. "Are you nervous about the full moon? It's not for another 24 hours. Liam, you're gonna be fine. Okay?" 

        Liam glances up at the moon that was almost full. His nerves rise at the sight of it knowing that his control was non-existent at the time. 

        "Try not to rage out on anyone," Stiles reminds him.

        "You're not worried?" Liam asks him. 

        "Okay, I'm mildly concerned," Stiles answers as he pulled his phone out of his bag. Scott hadn't texted him since this morning at he was getting worried with Liam's constant question. " _Mildly_." 

        _How late you gonna be? Very, VERY concerned._  -SS

        Stiles sends the text hoping to receive a response soon.

        "We're gonna lose without him," Liam mutters anxiously once more as he glanced over the opposing bench and recognized his past teammates.

        "No, we're not," Stiles answers as he pulled on his gear. "We can be just as good without Scott. Okay? I've been practicing. Let me tell you something. I'm getting good. _Really_ good." 

        It only took the first two minutes of the game to cause Stiles to retract on that statement as he had tumbled, dropped, and been tackled multiples time on the ground. Liam kneeled down next to him as he tried to regain his breath. 

        "Yeah... I'm gonna call Scott again." 

        It seemed to last an eternity for half-time to come around. Stiles immediately jogged back to the bench and started to pull off his gloves before reaching for his phone. Liam had followed closely behind him and waited to see if he had heard back from Scott. Stiles calls both Scott and Kira hoping to hear something but the calls go straight to voicemail. 

        "Alright... Neither of them are answering," Stiles states as he starts to pack his bag. "I gotta go see what's going on."

        "You're leaving?" Liam asks in concern. "What are you going to tell Coach?" 

        Stiles and Liam glance over and watch as Coach Finstock throws his clipboard unto the ground. 

        "Stupid! Stupid old..." 

        "Uh, you don't tell him anything," Stiles replies. "Okay?"

        Liam still looks nervous at being abandoned and Stiles can't help but feel concerned for the young Beta.

        "Liam, you're gonna be okay, alright?" Stiles assures him as the whistle blows signaling that half-time was over. 

        Liam gives a half-nod not believing the statement at all. He watches as Stiles sneaks out of the bench and talks to his dad and girlfriend. Malia stays behind to wait and see if Scott comes to the game while Sheriff Stilinski and Stiles head out of the game. Liam lets out a sigh and jogs into the field feeling further left out of the loop.   

_Stormwater Lair_

        Chris Argent was on the verge of losing consciousness once more before he saw a distant light shining his way. It took a bit of concentration to notice that the incoming figure was the local Deputy Parrish who held his flashlight and gun raised in alarm. Chris wonders if this is a figment of his imagination but finds it to be too random to be fake. 

        "They're gone," Chris tells Parrish.

        Jordan sets his gun back into his holster as he took in the sight of the bloody and trapped hunter. 

        "How long have you been like this?" he asks in concern. 

        "I don't know," Chris answers. "Might have blacked out a few times." 

        "Peter Hale did this?" Jordan asks as he took in the bent form of the steel rod. 

        Chris nods at this and wonders how the young deputy ever came to find him here. 

        "You were following him?" Chris asks him. 

        "Every day since Meredith Walker," Parrish answers as he tries to figure out how to get Chris out of there alive.

        "Listen to me," Chris states forcing the deputy's attention back on him. "Kate's going after Scott. _Peter and Kate_. You've got to warn them."

        Jordan shakes his head at Argent's request.

        "I can't. There's no service down here." 

        "Then just go," Chris insists.

        "If I leave right now, you'll be dead by the time I get back," Parrish points out as he sets his flashlight aside and reaches for the rod. "We're getting you out of here." 

        Jordan pulls with all his might hoping to relieve the rod from its bent shape but as much as he pulled, the rod was set in place. Time was running out though and Jordan was still unable to pull the rod out. 

        "Sorry," Parrish apologizes as he takes a breather. "I'm sorry. I can't do it myself. It's not bending back and it's not coming out of the wall." 

        "Leave," Chris insists.

        "I can't do that either," Jordan states with determination. "I need you to help me. I know you're hurt and tired, but I need you to gather everything you've got and help me." 

        "I've got nothing," Chris responds as his eyes drooped close.

        "Grab the bar, sir," Jordan insists.

        "I've got nothing left," Chris repeats in deep sorrow. "Please, go. Just go. You're running out of time."

        Jordan doesn't let the persuade him out of it.

        "You know what you need?" Parrish asks him. " _Adrenaline_. There's two ways to get it. Fear and anger. Since you don't look like a guy who's afraid of anything, you need to get angry. You need to get so angry that your brain lets loose every bit of adrenaline it has left." 

        "I'm too tired to be angry," Chris insists.

        "Okay, I don't know much about you or what you've been through but Diana told me some of it," Parrish states. "And I know about Allison." 

        Chris grimaces at the sound of his daughter's name. 

        "I know how she felt about Scott," Parrish continues seeing Chris' expression change. "And I think if she knew what was happening to him she'd be pretty angry. At least angry enough to try one more time to get the hell out of here. So whatever trigger you need, if it's Allison, or your sister, or Peter, use it. _Use it right now."_

Chris takes a deep breath and closes his eyes as his hand reached for the steel rod. Parrish immediately reaches for it too and waits for Chris to signal. Chris nods after a few seconds and they both start to pull at the rod. The elder hunter starts to use all of the anger he's held for the entirety of his life and the pain to spur him further. 

        Parrish's eyes light to a burning orange as the steel rod starts to move out of its bent shape before it's ripped off the wall and lands onto the floor with a loud bang.

_Eichen House_

        Dr. Fenris looks over Deaton's comatose state and lets out a heavy sigh. He did warn him of the consequences of speaking to Dr. Valack but Deaton had ignored his warnings and now there wasn't much that Dr. Fenris could do. He looked over at his vitals once more only to see that they remained the same. 

        "Still nothing," he notes to the nearby nurse. "I think we're going to have to move him to the sixth floor." 

        "You're not taking him anywhere." 

        Dr. Fenris looks up and recognizes the girl standing at the doorway. She was the Banshee and he expected that she was only here for one thing. 

        "Well, unless you're family, I don't think you can make that decision," Dr. Fenris states. 

        "We're close enough," Lydia responds as she walks up to the bedside. "Let me talk to him." 

        "He's not responding to any stimuli," Dr. Fenris explains to her. "We can talk to him, but there's no way of knowing he's actually hearing us." 

        The determination in Lydia's eyes was still burning strong and she was drawn here for a reason that she now knew why. 

        "Trust me on this," Lydia warns him. "He'll hear me." 

******

Diana's POV,  _The Loft_

        Derek and I didn't know what to make of the loft as we inspected it in fear. Scott hadn't been responding and Stiles had texted us to check in on them. We hadn't expected to find the loft in this manner. The window glass was broken and most of the dangling lightbulbs were broken on the ground. The few furniture that we had out was destroyed and blood stained the ground in multiple locations. 

        It doesn't take long for Stiles and Sheriff Stilinski to make their way to the loft and take in themselves the sight of the destroyed loft.

        "What the hell happened?" Stiles asks confused. 

        "It was supposed to be a date," Derek answers.

        "They were both here?" Sheriff Stilinski asks. 

        "And they're both gone," I answer in concern. "This has Kate signed all over it." 

        Stiles begins to panic at this but pulls out his vibrating phone from his pocket. 

        "Hey," he answers.

        " _Scott's been taken_ ," Lydia states immediately.

        "Scott and Kira," Stiles corrects her. "We just don't know where."

        " _Mexico,_ " Deaton tells him. " _And if you want to save his life, that's where you're going too."_

****** 

Third POV,  _BH Lacrosse Field_

        Liam was trying his best to score against Devenford Prep but it wasn't easy when all he could see were berserkers running through the field killing off the players. He knew that he was envisioning these creatures but it didn't stop the way his heart would away beat too fast within his chest and that his focus strayed elsewhere. 

        Catching the ball, Liam's body seems to snap itself out of the trance as he dodges and ducks under his opponents. He was so close to reaching the goalie's net when out of nowhere he's tackled to the ground. Liam crashes harshly onto the ground and he overhears the crowd groan at the sight of the impact. 

        Liam rips his helmet off and looks up to find Brett watching over him. 

        "What the hell did you do that for?" Liam exclaims. 

        "Because you're afraid," Brett answers. "I can smell it on you from across the field. Are you hurt?" 

        "No." 

        "Are you still alive?" Brett asks next. 

        "Obviously," Liam answers as he wonders the point the questions are trying to make. 

        "Then get up," Brett states causing Liam a hand up. "You good to play?" 

        Liam brushes off the tackle and sets his helmet on once more. 

        "You planning on pulling something like that again?" Liam asks him causing Brett to grin. 

        "Only if I have to." 

        Brett jogs back on defense and Liam brushes off the strange encounter as the whistle is blown again. The game moves fast as Devenford Prep continued to score while Liam remained on his own trying to figure out what was going on. It didn't feel right to play when everyone he knew was fighting off something. 

        The team returns to the locker room disheartened by the loss but Liam was seated on the bench wondering where everything went wrong. He didn't notice how everyone had left by then but he didn't really care. There was nothing he could do. There was nothing he decided to do. 

        "You okay?" 

        Liam looks up and finds Brett walking into the locker room. 

        "We lost," Liam answers as he threw his gloves into his locker.

        "But you're okay, right?" Brett asks again. 

        Liam shakes his head at him, "Why'd you do that? Why'd you help me?"

        "Because of Scott," Brett answers as if the answer should have been obvious to the young Beta. "He saved me. He saved all of us. Do you know how lucky you are?" 

        "What do you mean?" Liam asks confused. 

        "Scott's a True Alpha," Brett explains to him. "That means he didn't get his power because he was born with it. He didn't get it by stealing or killing someone. He _earned_ it." 

        Liam looks down as he contemplates this and though Brett didn't understand how it's like to be a bitten werewolf, he understood what Liam was struggling with. 

        "You're not strong just because you can lift a lot of weight now," Brett explains with a small smile. "You're strong because you endure. Satomi calls it strength of character. You're lucky to have him." 

        Liam watches Brett leave the locker room and lets out a sigh. 

        "Then why isn't he here?" 

_ La Iglesia, Mexico _

        Scott wakes up with a harsh pounding in his head. He groans as he forces himself to open his eyes and adjust to the darkness that surrounded him. The young Alpha tries to sit up but is unable to as restraints held him down onto the stone-made altar. As much as Scott pulled on the straps, they wouldn't give. 

        "Tell me, Scott," Kate states as she paced around the table causing Scott to catch a few glimpses of her. "They ever teach you the myth of Artemis and Actaeon in school?" 

        Scott continues to struggle with the bounds and Kate continues with her speech. 

        "No? I didn't think so," Kate sighs out. "Well, Artemis was a goddess and Actaeon was a hunter that happened to see Artemis bathing naked one day. This did not make the goddess too happy. In fact, she was so angry, Artemis turned Actaeon into a deer and this sent his own hounds into a frenzy. He was actually torn apart by his own hunting dogs." 

        Scott could barely see what Kate was up to when she finished her retelling of a myth. 

        "What are you doing?" Scott asks her. 

        Kate chuckles at the question as she picked a bear skull from her collection and headed back to the altar. 

        "I'm not gonna turn you into a deer," Kate tells him. "But you are about to become something unrecognizable to your friends. They won't know what they're fighting... Or killing." 

        Kate stops by Scott's head allowing him to see the berserker skull that Scott had grown to recognize. This led Scott to struggle much more harshly as Kate descended the skull to settled on his face. 

        "Kate, hold on... No, Kate, no. No, Kate. Don't. No, no. No!"

        Scott's screams continue to echo deep into the temple's walls but nothing ever responds back.

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: 
> 
> Hey readers!
> 
> I know I've been having a decent update schedule recently and its mainly due to having the chapters done ahead of time and the abundance of free time I had during the winter break but now school's back in session and the last chapter might take some time for me to finish. I will try to work on it during any free time I get but it will really take some time for me to get it done. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this update!


	18. Smoke and Mirrors

Diana's POV, _The_ _Clinic_

        "Do you think it's wise for you to go to Mexico?" Deaton asked in his office. "Facing Kate has never gone well for you, Diana, and you're pregnant now. You are not the only one who's going to suffer the consequences." 

        "You're right, but this is Scott and Kira," I remind him. "This is my pack, my family... I can't stay behind." 

        "Have you told Derek yet?" 

        "No," I answer with a sigh. "I've been trying to tell him but something always comes up that ruins the moment and if I tell him now... he won't let me go and I need to go because Derek will just get himself killed if I'm not there to look after him." 

        "What did Deucalion say about his human state?" Deaton asks in concern.

        "The old Alpha kept his lips sealed," I answer. "Doesn't want me meddling with the affairs of an ancient God. Did Dr. Valack give away anything?" 

        "He didn't say much either," Deaton answers. "He just showed me that Scott was in danger. I... I tried to make sense of the vision but there's still things I have to decipher." 

        "Such as?" I prompt him. 

        "The temple," Deaton tell me. "There was a stone altar in the middle of the room and it looked like it was prepared for some sort of sacrifice. Of what kind? I don't know and that's what worries me." 

        "If you find anything don't hesitate to call me," I sigh out in defeat. I grab the last of my evacuation bags from his office and throw it over my shoulder. "I should go..." 

        Deaton offers me a small smile and for some odd reason I find myself pulling him into a hug.

        "Thank you for everything, Deaton," I tell him. "If it weren't for you, I don't know how I would have turned out."  

        Deaton stiffens at the embrace but quickly relaxes into it with a chuckle. 

        "Take care of yourself, Diana," Deaton answers. "And take care of Derek too." 

        I nod at this and start to make my way out of his office. I can't help but look back having this odd feeling that this may be the last time I would be seeing the clinic. I shake the feeling away and make my way towards the loft trying to build up a plan for what was to come. 

  _The Loft_

        Every firearm and weapon that I could conjure was laid out on the table in front of us. I let out a sigh seeing that it may not be enough for this trip we were gonna make soon and I was regretting not having stolen some firepower from our recent run-in with Marcos' mercenaries. 

        "I still don't like relying on these things," Derek comments as he picked a handgun and loaded it.

        "I get it," I answer. "You miss your power. I would, too." 

        "It's not about power," Derek corrects me. "It's about being able to help. I don't like feeling helpless." 

        "You are definitely not helpless," I assure him. "You've managed to hold your own with countless assassination attempts." 

        "Because you trained me," Derek answers. 

        "Yes, I did and trained you well," I respond. "I was human once, Derek. It's kinda hard to remember how I was back then but I surely wasn't helpless." 

        "Well you're a much better shot than me," Derek remarks.

        I let out a sigh as I hear this and set down the shotgun onto the table. I take a hold of his hand instead and intertwine our fingers together. 

        "I know being human has you afraid," I tell him. "But I'm going to be with you every step of the way. You don't have to worry about getting hurt out there because I have your back." 

        "And I have yours," Derek answers. "Even though you can take care of yourself." 

        "Damn right," I chuckle out.

        "And about what we were talking about yesterday..." 

        "We don't have to get into it," I interrupt him. "We have a lot in our plate right now." 

        "Right," Derek whispers, "But just in case I don't make it back..."

        "Derek..." I warn him. 

        "Look, I just... If it's my life for Scott and Kira, for  _you..._  I'm willing to give it," Derek answers. 

        "No one is asking you to do this, Derek," I remind him. "And even if they did, I wouldn't let you do it alone."

        Derek stares at me as if he knew something I didn't. I let out a sigh and shake my head at him. 

        "We're in this together, Derek," I tell him. " _For better or worse, in sickness and in health, until death do us part-_  I made that vow and I intend to keep it."

        "So do I," Derek answers with a sad smile. 

        "Good," I answer as I press a quick kiss on his lips. "Now let's stop talking about this nonsense, ok?" 

        "Yeah," Derek answers as he glances down at the weapons laid out on the table. "To be honest, I don't even know if this is enough firepower to take down one berserker." 

        "Not even close."

        I have to restrain the growl in my throat when I find Peter descending down the stairs to meet with us.

        "Killing a Berserker is next to impossible," Peter states as he takes a seat on the last few steps. "It's not just the firepower, it's breaking the animal spirit from the human."

        "Well, the one person we know with that kind of experience is Argent," I sigh out. "And he's not getting back to me."

        "Well, then you're going to need help," Peter offers up. "Like Malia, maybe Liam. Definitely me." 

*****

Third POV,  _McCall Residence_

        After a failed attempt to get his father's approval of going to Mexico on a rescue mission, Stiles took it upon himself to do it on his own. He shifts through Scott's closet and quickly tugs one of his shirts and tosses it to Malia. The were-coyote doesn't have to use her enhanced sense of smell to notice the lack of personal scent from Scott. 

        "Fabric softener," she comments causing Stiles to sigh. 

        Stiles quickly changes tactics and enters Scott's bathroom and looks into his dirty clothes hamper. Malia follow him there and finds him holding up a pair of used boxers. Malia gives him an exasperated look.

        "Remember, Scott's life is on the line," Stiles tells her.

        Malia refuses to stoop that low and instead looks around the bedroom before taking up the pillow on the bed. She sniffs it and catches the lingering scent.  Malia offers Stiles a look of relief and he takes it.

        "Yeah, that works, too." 

        Pulling off the pillowcase, they both descend downstairs ready to go when they find Liam waiting for them. 

        "Oh! Liam, go home," Stiles exclaims. "You're not coming with us."

        "Why not?" Liam asks confused. 

        "Because it's a full moon," Stiles stops to explain to the young Beta. "And I don't feel like driving all the way down to Mexico just to have you rip my throat out."

        "You can lock me up, right?" Liam offers. "Chain me down to the back seat or something?"

        "You tore through the last chains, remember?" Malia reminds him. 

        "Yeah, we would have to freeze you in carbonite to get you down there," Stiles alludes. 

        "Okay, then where do we get carbonite?" Liam asks. 

        " _Seriously, you haven't seen it either?"_ Stiles mutters tiredly under his breath before turning to leave him behind. Liam is quick to follow after him. 

        "Wait!" he shouts. "What if we put me in the trunk?"

        "You'd get out of that, too," Malia answers.

        "Liam, you've been a werewolf all of five minutes," Stiles tells him. "You don't have to do this."

        "I know I don't, but I want to," Liam explains. "There's gotta be bigger chains, a bigger trunk or something. There has to be."

        With that thought in mind, Stiles believe there may be something strong enough to withhold him. How he was to acquire such a vehicle under his dad's nose? He didn't know, but there might be someone up to the challenge.

        "Maybe there is..." 

_Warehouse_

        Diana drives the white police van into the warehouse and parks it right next to the blue Jeep. Stiles can't help but marvel at the acquired transport and turned to Diana with a look of utter confusion. 

        "How did you get a prison transport van?" he asks. "I didn't think you'll actually be able to do it!" 

        "I just asked your dad to borrow one," Diana answers with a shrug.

        "You asked my dad?" Stiles stammers out. "And he just gave it to you? You didn't tell him I was going, right? Cause I'm not supposed to be going to Mexico."

        Diana cracks a smile as Stiles continued his rambling.

        "Oh you did, didn't you?" Stiles exclaims in utter misery. "Dammit! I'm screwed. I'm completely and utterly... Why are you laughing?"

        Diana cuts her laugh short as she ruffled Stiles' hair. 

        "I didn't ask your dad, idiot," she answers. "You think he would just give it to me?"

        "Yeah?" Stiles answers as if it was obvious. "He likes you." 

        "Yeah, no," Diana answers with a shake of her head. "I stole the keys. The Beacon Hills PD is severely understaffed these days so this was easy to take." 

        Stiles seems even more concerned at the answer given as he watched Diana walk away and make her way towards Derek who had just arrived too. 

        "Are we really bringing him?" Derek asks in concern as he looked at Liam. 

        "Are we really bringing him?" Stiles asks in return as he watched Peter step out of the car.  

        "We're bringing everyone that we can," Peter explains himself. "And considering Scott and Kira were taken the night before a full moon, we should probably get going."

        "What's that mean?" Malia asks.

        "If Kate took Scott back to the same temple that she took Derek, how do we know she's not planning to do the same thing to him?" Peter answers them.

        "What, she wants to make him younger?" Liam asks confused.

        "Or take him back to when he wasn't a werewolf," Diana concludes in concern.

        "A werewolf can't steal a true Alpha's power," Peter offers. "But maybe a Nagual jaguar, with the power of Tezcatlipoca behind her... Maybe she can. So, if everyone is sufficiently freaked out, I say we get going."

        Everyone starts to move to their cars but Stiles stops them.

        "We can't," Stiles states. "Not without Lydia."

        Resigned to wait, everyone watched as Stiles dialed Lydia's phone a handful of times before Stiles muttered another curse at hearing her voicemail. 

        "What's she doing at the school anyway?" Derek asks. 

        "We got Kira's sword, but we need something with a stronger scent," Malia answers as she holds up the katana. "Lydia went to get a jacket out of her locker."

        "Nothing," Stiles states as his call remained unanswered.

        "If she has a car, she can catch up to us," Diana offers up.

        "That's a good point," Peter remarks as he stops his pacing. "We'll call her from the road."

        "No," Stiles exclaims. "What if something happened? What if she's in trouble?" 

        "Fine," Peter answers. "You stay, you find her. We're gonna go on without you." 

        "I could call Mason," Liam offers up. "He has a study group at school. Maybe he could look for her."

        Having no other choice and no time to waist, Stiles resigns to this solution. 

        "Alright, fine," Stiles states letting Liam to call his friend.

        Everyone started to head towards their designated vehicles as the final details were settled. Stiles pulls Malia aside as he knew that they would have to split up on the journey.

        "I need to be back there with Derek and Liam," he explains to her. "I've got some experience dealing with out-of-control teen wolves. You'll be okay riding with Peter?"

        "He is my father," Malia nods. "Maybe we could do some bonding..." 

        "No," Stiles interrupts her. "No bonding. Play the radio, play it loud."

        "Remember," Peter calls out to all of them before they left. "What we're dealing with it's not just Kate, it's Berserkers. You might see human eyes behind those skulls. Do not assume that there's any humanity left."

        Liam swallows as he hears this and Peter's smirk grows. 

        "Oh," Peter snarls. "This little one is terrified of them, aren't you? Don't worry, my friend. It is that fear that will keep you alive." 

        Diana offers Liam a comforting smile hoping that would ease the young beta's concerns. 

        "A reminder to everyone," Peter continues. "You do not fight Berserkers to survive, you fight to kill." 

******

Third POV,  _BH High School_

        After getting a call from a stressed Liam, the least Mason could do was do Liam's favor and head back home. Mason was still in the dark about Liam's sudden change but as of recently he's gotten better in opening up to him. Mason makes his way back inside the school and looks through the empty hallways. It wasn't until he reached the stairway that he noticed the discarded bag and a cellphone. 

        Mason jogs over to it and picks up the cracked phone. 

        "No wonder she's not answering," Mason states. He glances around the hall once more looking for a sign of her. "Lydia?"

        The sound of clicking can be heard and Mason assumes it must be Lydia making her way towards him. He steps out of the stairway ready to meet up with her when he finds an overlooking shadow standing right in front of him. 

        "What the hell?" Mason asks. 

        A snarl is heard through the mask figured and before Mason could react, the berserker knocks him out with one blow. 

        Mason doesn't know how long he's been unconscious. He groans as his eyes try to adjust to the light ahead and sighs as he finds Lydia looking down at him. 

        "Are you okay?" she asks him as she helps him up. 

        "My head..." Mason groans.

        "Yeah, it's probably gonna hurt a lot," Lydia comments.

        "There was this guy," Mason tries to explain. "Huge, really huge. He had a, a skull on his face." 

        "Yeah, I know," Lydia answers. "I saw it, too." 

        Mason doesn't understand why Lydia was acting calm but he searches for his phone with the intention to call someone for help. 

        "My phone's gone," Mason states.

        "Yeah," Lydia sighs out. "I think that's the point." 

        "Okay..." Mason remarks. "Well, why, what's he gonna do to us?" 

        "I don't know," Lydia answers honestly. "But it definitely doesn't want us to leave."

        Lydia looks up at the hallway in the basement. Standing at the end, blocking off the only exit, was the berserker watching their every move. 

        "Lydia, why do you keep saying _it_?" Mason asks as the creature growled at them. "What is that thing?"

        Lydia purses her lip wondering how honest she should be with him. 

        "Not human."

*****

Diana's POV,  _On the Road_

        The prisoner van is the leading car driving towards the Iglesia. My fingers nervously tap against the steering wheel as Derek and Stiles decided to ride on the back with Liam. I let out a sigh knowing that I was the only one who knew the way there which meant I was stuck driving. This didn't stop me from checking in through the rear-view mirror to check how things were going. 

        Derek and Stiles had handcuffed Liam down onto the metal bench. 

        "All good?" Derek asks him. 

        Liam tugs at the handcuffs and nods. 

        "Okay," Derek states as he settles in. He pulls out the Triskelion amulet from his pocket and shows it to Liam. "I brought something to help you. This has been with my family for centuries. It's a very powerful, supernatural talisman. We use it to teach Betas how to control themselves on a full moon." 

        Derek hands it to Liam who inspects it closely. Stiles has a look of skepticism on his face and Derek clears his throat hoping that Stiles would get his cue. 

        "Yes," Stiles agrees reluctantly. "It's powerful. _Very_ powerful." 

        The drive continues on and I take a deep breath as I notice the sun setting. I glance over the rear-view mirror and notice the deep breaths Liam was taking. He tugs at the handcuffs and groans. 

        "Whatever you were gonna teach me..." Liam breaths out heavily.  "I think you better start." 

        The yellow eyes he was sporting fade away and Derek quickly speeds up his control teaching. 

        "Liam, you with me?" he asks. "We have a mantra that we use. You repeat it, you focus on the words. It's like meditating. You say the words until you feel control coming back to you." 

        There's a moment of silence before Liam nods in understanding. 

        "Okay. Okay, okay! What are the words?" Liam asks as his claws grew out in his hands. 

        "Okay, look at the triskelion," Derek tells him. "See the symbol? I have a tattoo on my back, it's the same thing. Each spiral means something."

        "Alpha, Beta, Omega," Stiles lists off. 

        "It represents the idea that we can always rise to one and fall back to another," Derek continues with his explanation. "Betas can become Alphas. Alphas can become Betas." 

        "Can Alphas become Omegas?" Liam asks.

        "Yes," Derek answers. "All you have to do is say the three words. And with each one, you tell yourself you're getting calmer, more in control. Go ahead, try it." 

        "Alpha, Beta..."

        "Slower," Derek reminds him. 

        Liam takes a deep breath and tries again. 

        "Alpha... Beta... Omega..." Liam groans and clings to the token. "Alpha... Beta... Omega..." 

        "Good," Derek affirms. "Say it again. Remember, every time you say the words, you're getting calmer."

        "Alpha, Beta... Omega."

        Liam's voice deepens and I could sense his shift continuing. 

        "Say it again."

        "Derek, I don't think the powerful talisman of self-control is working," Stiles points out as he noticed Liam's amber eyes return. 

        Liam grunts as he feels the painful shift take ahold of him. 

        "Liam, say it again!" Derek orders him. 

        Liam doesn't respond as he roars and snaps at him. The handcuffs were not strong enough to hold him back if he were to fully shift and I knew that there would be no stopping him from bloodshed if he were to get free. The young Beta starts to trash which led me to barely gain control of the moving van.

        "Liam!" I shout as I tried to get to him. "Liam! You got to focus!" 

        One of the handcuffs breaks loose and Derek barely manages to catch Liam's arm and restrain him. 

        "Derek! I think we're gonna need to go a little faster," Stiles wars him.

        "Keep going!" I shout at him.

        Liam struggles under Derek's hold and roars at him.

        "Liam! Liam..." 

        The second handcuff breaks and Stiles stops Liam from going after Derek's neck. 

        "Hold him off a little longer," I shout. "We're almost there!" 

        "Keep focus!" Derek shouts at Liam.

        Stiles is struggling to keep Liam down and glances over at Derek.

        "Derek, I don't think Alpha, Beta, Omega is resonating with him." 

        "You know any other mantras?" Derek snarls at him. 

        Liam's jaw snaps towards them and Stiles gains an epiphany. 

        "Yeah, I do..." 

        Stiles turns to Liam and tries to gain his focus. 

        "Liam, Liam," he calls out. "What three things cannot long be hidden?" 

        Liam continues to growl at them and Stiles snaps at him once more. 

        "Liam! Liam, look at me!" Stiles shouts. "What three things cannot long be hidden?"

        Liam seems to stop as he hears the question and looks at Stiles.

        "What three things?" he asks again. 

        "Sun... The moon... The truth..." Liam grunts out. 

        "That's it," Stiles assures him seeing the fangs retract. "Say it again."

        "Sun, the moon... The truth." 

        Liam's amber eyes fade away to their normal green and his claws retract. 

        "Derek?" I ask as I heard the silence in the back. 

        "We're okay," Derek assures me with a light chuckle.

        "Sun... Moon... And the truth," Liam continues to repeat tiredly.

        I let out a sigh of relief as I leaned back into my seat.

        Stiles lets out a whistle and pats Derek's shoulder.

        "I can't believe I did it," Stiles states earning a scoff from Derek.

        "For a minute there, I thought I was gonna tear the two of you apart," Liam confesses.  

        "Yeah, that would've made for an awkward ride home," Stiles responds. "So, thanks." 

        "Think you can bring the same level of control and strength inside La Iglesia?" I ask Liam as I glance through the rear-view mirror one last time. 

        Liam nods in response and offers me a small victorious smile as he pulls out his claws at command. 

        "Alright, puppy," I remark with a chuckle. "I believe you." 

        I slow down the van as I notice the Iglesia come to view. I put the car in park and let out a sigh as we finally made it. The silence of the abandoned city made me feel uneasy.

        "We might actually be able to do this," Stiles states. 

        Something within me told me that Stiles had spoken too soon. 

*****

Third POV,  _BH High School_

        Lydia and Mason had opted to hide behind the nearby wall amongst all of the stored items. From what she could tell, the day had slipped past them while they remained trapped in the school's basement. Lydia was focusing all her attention on the berserker down the hall waiting for it to leave it's post. It wasn't until that moment that Lydia felt that he was no longer there.         

        "I don't hear it," Lydia whispers to Mason. "Come on."

        She starts to move to check but Mason quickly stops her. 

        "No, no," Mason whispers in fear. "There's only one way out on this side of the basement."

        "I know," Lydia responds. "But if we don't get out of here, someone's going to die." 

        Lydia's sense of unease was growing and it had finally dawned on her that the berserker was meant to keep her in place to prevent her from warning everyone. 

        "How do you know that?" Mason asks confused. 

        "I just do," Lydia responds not having the time or the patience to spell things out for him. "We have to at least see if he's blocking the exit." 

        Mason sighs and agrees to check. He peers past the wall and notices that the creature was no longer there. It doesn't take long for the berserker to step out of the shadows when it sensed their intent and Mason quickly retracts his head at the sight of it. He lets out another sigh and shakes his head at Lydia.

        "Yeah," he answers. "He's blocking it." 

*****

Third POV,  _La Iglesia_

        Derek steps forward and opens the backdoors of the prisoner van. He barely manages to glance up before realizing a berserker was waiting for them to step out. Immediately, Derek is pulled out of the van and thrown onto the ground. The air in his lungs is knocked out of him and Diana screams as she watches him disappear. She pulls out her gun from her bag and begins to load it. 

        "Stay in the car!" she shouts at Stiles and Liam before stepping out.

        Derek can't find the strength to fight back as the berserker picks him back up and throws him onto a nearby ruin. The berserker digs its dagger into Derek's chest multiple times before the shots from Diana's shotgun stops him. 

        Diana continues to shoot at the berserker undeterred until the beast takes the hint and backs off. She's out of breath but it doesn't stop her from swinging the shotgun sling onto her shoulder and sprinting towards Derek. 

        His body topples out of the ruin and she immediately helps him sit up. All she can see and smell is his blood and panic starts to settle within her. 

        By this time, everyone has stepped out of the car and circled around them in shock. 

        "Hey, look at me," Diana whispers to Derek as he tries to control his breathing. "I got you. I got you." 

        Blood is spilling out of his lips and Diana can see the deep wounds scattered across his chest. They were bleeding profusely and his heartbeat was high. 

        Diana tries to contain her emotions as she knew the damage was too much for his human body to take. She takes a deep breath and swallows her tears. 

        "How bad is it?" Peter asks as he breaks the silence that hung around them thickly. 

        "I'm fine," Derek assures them as he tried to keep his voice calm. "I'm fine. Just get to Scott. Just find him. We'll be right behind you." 

        No one dared to move and Derek offered them a grimace of a smile. 

        "Go," Derek shouts at them. "Go!" 

        Diana takes her eyes off him and looks up at Stiles. 

        "Go save Scott," she tells him. "We've got you covered out here." 

        Stiles reluctantly nods and motions everyone to move. He slowly follows after them but stops and turns back to the pair. Derek watches him and Stiles can only give him a concerned glance before jogging inside the Iglesia.

         _This was the end,_ Derek thought, _this is goodbye._

Diana takes a deep breath as she turned to face Derek once more. She helped him sit up and dragged him into a more secure location behind the ruin. 

        Derek grunts at the movement and lets out a painful groan as Diana set his back against a stone wall. She immediately tears the ends of her shirt to create make-shift bandages. She starts to apply them to every open wound and ignores the way the cloth quickly became consumed in blood. 

        Derek watched her work unable to do anything else. The look of determination in her eyes reminded him of the many strengths Diana had grown to have. Though it was that same determination of hers that always managed to hurt her back. 

        "We have to get you to a hospital," Diana states. "These bandages aren't going to hold and you won't last long if we stay here." 

        Diana's hand continued to work and Derek wondered how she managed to keep them so still and firm. He reached for her wrist and forced her to stop. 

        "We're not going anywhere," Derek coughs out. 

        "But..." 

        "We're not leaving our pack behind."  

        Diana's strong resolve seems to crack as he tells this to her. 

        "You are their only line of defense," Derek reminds her. "You have to stay here." 

_La Iglesia_

        Everyone climbed down through the toppled remains of the Iglesia and looked around in the wide open space. Stiles catches up to them and finds Peter leading them through the endless tunnels that laid beneath. 

        "Okay, everyone stop!" Peter shouts after awhile. "We gotta figure out where we are, then we gotta figure out how to find Scott and Kira."

        Before Peter could continue with his plan, Stiles' phone starts to ring breaking the serious atmosphere. Peter glares at him and Stiles shrugs in response. 

        "How do I even have service..." Stiles mutters before noticing the caller ID. Having no other choice, Stiles answered the call. "Hi, Dad. Okay, Dad, I know you're angry."

        " _Oh, I'm beyond angry. I've reached a level of fury that you could not possibly comprehend."_

"Okay, well, when I get back, you can ground me," Stiles offers up.

        " _Ground you? Ground you? I'm going to hobble you! Now, please, tell me you're all right. Tell me that you're safe."_  

        "You want me to lie?" Stiles asks honestly. 

        " _Oh, God. Okay. Tell me, tell me what I can do. How can I help?_ " 

        "Find Lydia," Stiles asks his father. "She was at the school when we called Mason to look for her, but now we're not hearing back from either of them. I don't know, Dad, I don't know what I'm doin'. You know, I'm just... I'm trying to save my friends."

        Hearing the scared confession from his son, Sheriff Stilinski knew he had much to do in such a short time.

        " _Okay. I'll find Lydia and Mason. You get Scott and Kira. You save your friends."_

        "Dad, if it's one of the Berserkers at the school, you're gonna need firepower," Stiles warns him. "A lot." 

_Outside La Iglesia_

        Diana pulled out the handgun from her waist and hands it to Derek. He looks at her questioningly as he takes it and she ignores his gaze. Instead of taking up her own gun, Diana presses her hands to the majority of Derek's wound. He winces at the pressure and Diana whispers an apology. 

        "What are you doing?" Derek asks her. 

        "Keeping you alive," Diana answers. "You have to cover my back, ok? Can you still pull a trigger?"

        Derek nods and Diana lets out a sigh of relief. 

        "Alright," she mutters. "You just stay with me, ok?" 

        "Easier said than done," Derek remarks. 

        Diana glances up at him and notices the pain etched on his face. Derek's expression softens when he notices her watching him and he can't help but feel some sort of relief at looking at her.

        "Lydia was right," he mutters.

        "What do you mean she was right?" Diana asks as she glances up at him. "Right about what?" 

        "About everything," Derek answers with a grimace. "I have to... I have to tell you something." 

        "I don't want to know," Diana repeats to him once more sensing what he was about to say. Another crack went through her strong façade. "What you're about to tell me, I don't want to know." 

        "I have to," Derek answers. "I have to now..."

        "Derek..." 

        "My name broke the third list of the deadpool," Derek confesses to her. "When... When Lydia came to our loft that night... she was... she was screaming because I was going to die soon." 

        That was the last blow Diana could take as she felt her wall come tearing down. Her throat tightened and she tried to recall how to breathe. The unshed tears burned in her eyes and she tried to cling to the strength she had seconds before. 

        "No," she exclaims as her hands remained on his wounds. "I'm not gonna let you die."

        A growl breaks through the air and they both look up at the sound. Derek simply chuckles and turns to Diana. 

        "You might just have to concentrate on saving yourself." 

        Diana remains vigilant as she waited for some shadow to break through the darkness. Nothing arises and she returns her focus towards Derek. 

        "You should check that out," Derek tells her. 

        "No," Diana tells him. "I'm staying here with you. I got your back, you got mine." 

        "You're going to get yourself killed if you stay here with me." 

        "And you will get yourself killed if I leave," Diana refutes as the tears started to spill. "I'm staying." 

        Derek lets out a sigh as he watched her break down. The blood was now pouring out of her hands and he knew that she was finally coming to the same conclusion he had. He really wasn't going to make it out of this alive.

        "Hey," he whispers as his hand weekly reached for her face. "Hey, you'll be fine." 

        "No, I won't," she responds with a shake of her head. "We were supposed to spend the rest of our lives together." 

        "And we will," Derek answers. "At least... I will..."

        This causes Diana to choke and Derek tries his best to wipe away the tears that kept falling. 

        "I gave you everything I could," Derek coughs out. "Everything I could in the short amount of time we had..." 

        Diana lifts her head up as she realized that the past couples of weeks were his spread out goodbye to her. He's known for so long about how this was supposed to end and Diana wondered how he was capable of holding this truth in this entire time without telling her. 

        "You really gave me everything," Diana whispers. "Everything I could have ever wished for." 

        Derek smiles as he hears this. 

        "But I can't do this without you," Diana continues with a shake of her head. "I just can't..." 

        "You can," Derek responds. "You can take care of yourself, remember? You never needed me." 

        "I know but, I always wanted you, Derek," Diana tells him. "And I might not need you, but _they_ do. And I... I can't take care of them by myself. I can't... I can't do this without you." 

        "What are you talking about?" Derek asks confused. 

        "I'm pregnant," Diana whispers tearfully with a short laugh. "I'm... pregnant." 

        "You're... you're pregnant?" Derek coughs out as he realizes what she said. "Are you..." 

        Diana nods at his question and Derek smiles at the answer. 

        "You're pregnant," Derek repeats once more before his cough takes over. "You're... You've just made me... made me the happiest man... alive..." 

        Diana can feel the moment his heart stops beating under her palm and hears his last breath leave his mouth. His eyes turn still while the smile on his lips remains. Her head drops into his chest as grief and heartbreak consumed her entirely. She clutched his leather jacket refusing to let him go and held him in silence, rocking back and forth slowly as her tears soaked into his chest. Her howls of misery were quiet as she knew there was no way for him to come back from this. Her sobs were muted as she dug her face into his chest realizing that she was now left on her own once again.

_ Inside La Iglesia _

        Having split off from the pack, Stiles made his own way through the tunnels in search of Scott and Kira. It doesn't take long for him, shouting their names in the dark, to come across a stumbling Kira who was reclining all her weight onto the nearby wall. Stiles lets out a sigh of relief before realizing all of the blood she was sporting. 

        "Oh my god," he whispers as he ran to her. "Are you okay?" 

        Kira shakes her head but knew there were more important matters at the moment. 

        "It's Scott," Kira tries to explain. "Stiles, _it's Scott._ " 

        "What?" Stiles asks confused.

        "The Berserker," Kira exclaims. "It's him. Kate did it!" 

        "What are you talking about?" Stiles asks. 

        "She made him into one of them," Kira explains. "I don't know how, but it's him. If they don't know it, they could kill him."

        Stiles finally understands what Kira was trying to say to him and understands now why Lydia had been taken out of the equation. 

        "That's why Lydia's not here," Stiles realizes. "They won't know they're killing Scott." 

        With a newfound sense of urgency, Stiles helps Kira down the network of tunnels hoping to find their way back to everyone. Stiles handed Kira her katana as soon as he heard the sound of fighting near them. They both run in and find everyone fighting the lone berserker. 

        Malia, Liam, and Peter were taking turns as they faced the berserker at once. If one of them was shoved off, another would take their place and fight as long as they could. It's been like this for awhile before they manage to shove the berserker down. Peter tosses a bone dagger to Malia before he and Liam grab the berserker and pin him onto the wall. 

        "Aim for the skull!" Peter orders Malia. "Kill it! Kill it now!" 

        Stiles runs it at the right time and stops Malia from sending the dagger through the skull helmet. 

        "No, wait, wait!" he shouts. "Malia, wait!"

        It's too late as Malia is already moving to send the dagger through. Kira pulls out the katana from it's shield and swings the sword down. The dagger in Malia's hand is broken in half and Malia turns to look at them confused. 

        "It's Scott," Stiles explains. "It's Scott!"

        Confused at this, Liam looks through the mask and recognizes the eyes that peer at him. With the realization, Liam looses his grip and the berserker shoves them away from him.

        Quickly, the berserker grabs a hold of a stumbling Liam and pins him onto the pillar. Liam struggles under his hold and tries to break through to Scott.

        "Scott?" he calls out to him. "Scott, it's me!"

        Liam hopes to see recognition in his eyes but instead, they stare at him in a hypnotized angry frenzy. 

*****

Third POV,  _BH High School_

        The berserker continued to block the hallway and snarled at them in warning. Lydia ignored it as she took noticed of the sport equipment that was nearbly. She made her way towards it and searched through the bin before picking up an aluminum baseball bat that was heavier than she imagined it to be. 

        "Are you serious?" Mason asks her. 

        "Very."

        "A baseball bat? Against that guy?" Mason asks hoping she would notice the insanity of her decision. "Or thing or whatever it is."

        "My friends are in trouble," Lydia explains to him. "And so is Liam, your best friend. They need me. I'm going for it. And yes, with a baseball bat."

        Lydia starts to mentally prepare herself to charge the berserker before a warrior-like cry sounded behind her. Before she knew it, Mason ran past her with a lacrosse stick in hand. Following his lead, Lydia ran after him and they both charged the berserker with their make-shift weapon. 

        Needless to say, their plan went poorly as the berserker block their hits and sent them flying down the hall once more. Lydia and Mason groan in pain as they lost their weapons in the short fight. 

        "I thought you said it wanted to keep us here, not hurt us," Mason remarks as he felt the bruises forming on his body.

        Lydia's eyes widen as she noticed the enraged berserker making it's way towards them.

        "I think it changed its mind," Lydia exclaims.

        Before the berserker could reach them, someone whistles at it. 

        "Excuse me," Sheriff Stilinski shouts before tossing a grenade. "Catch."

        Lydia grabs a hold of Mason and pulls him behind the wall. A loud explosion follows right after sending bone remains and dust all over the place. Mason and Lydia cough and step out of their hiding spot. Sherif Stilinski steps out from the stairwell and looks at them in concern.

        "You both okay?" 

        Mason nods but Lydia is shaken up about the whole thing. 

        "It was after me," she states as she approached the Sheriff. "It wanted me to stay in Beacon Hills. I think this was all some sort of distraction."

        "Because you knew they're trying to kill someone," Stilinski states.

        "Kill who?" Mason asks confused and out of the loop. 

        "Scott," Lydia answers.

*****

Third POV,  _Outside La Iglesia_

        The sound of the berserker's bone armor rattling against itself stirs Diana from her stupor. She glances up and finds the outline of the beast and Kate slowly approaching the open dirt road. Diana refuses to leave her spot with Derek and resigns herself to the fact that Kate will have to drag her out of it. 

        Diana counts the steps Kate and the berserker take in her direction awaiting the second that this would all come to an end. That chance never arrives as the road lights up with the three SUV's speeding to a stop. The whole courtyard lights up in gunfire and Diana ducks under the rain of bullets that were meant for Kate and the berserker. 

        Flanks of men start to climb out of their cars and rush past her. 

        "Santiago?" Diana recognizes rush past her. "Guillermo?" 

        Diana then finds her grandmother stepping into the light with a pistol in hand. By her side, Chris and Deputy Parrish briefly brush past her and positioned themselves around her men. 

        "Abuela," Diana calls out. "What are you doing here?" 

        "What are you doing here?" Araya responds. "Pick up your gun and get ready." 

        Diana doesn't follow her order as her hand continued to cling to Derek's lifeless body. The sound of endless gunfire continues and Araya makes her way towards Diana for cover. 

        "Do as I say, niña," Araya orders. "He's dead, leave him." 

        "No," Diana argues. "I can't... I can't leave him again." 

        Araya hears the sound of her men being brought down and has no choice but to join the fight. She glances over at Diana and takes in her bloodstained hands and tear-filled eyes. Araya lets out a sigh as she saw the brokenness displayed. 

        "There will be time to mourn," Araya reminds her. "But now it's the time to fight and I need you to fight, _loba._  I need you to become the huntress you were named after, Diana. I need you to fight like a god." 

        Araya steps away from the small cover and starts to shoot her pistol at the berserker that was taking down her family. Diana watched as bodies continued to fall so easily by one beast. Her eyes looked away from the battle and glanced up at the full moon shining above. 

        Closing her eyes, Diana takes a deep breath as she heard the sounds of gunfire and bones around her. Her heart was beating loudly within her chest as she reached for the discarded shotgun that hung around her shoulder.

        " _For whatever god responsible for Kate and the berserkers, just know I'm coming for you."_

_ Inside La Iglesia _

        "Scott!" Liam shouts at him. "Scott, listen!" 

        The berserker staring back at him was ready to deal the final blow but by some miracle, Liam's pleas had managed to gain him a few more seconds. 

        "You're not a monster!" Liam reminds him as he took deep breaths. "You're a werewolf! Like me." 

        The words seemed to have resonated within him as Scott blinks quickly and steps away from Liam. The armor that he wore was quickly being torn away from his body before Scott pulled at the mask and broke it in half. He let out growl as his True Alpha face revealed itself behind it. 

        He let out a growl as his eyes looked across la Iglesia and landed at an amused Peter. 

        "You."

        Everyone turned to look at Peter who remained staring at Scott unmoved.

        "The only one who knew as much as Argent about Berserkers... About the Nagual," Scott explains. "You taught Kate. You helped her. All for _power."_

"For my _family's_ power," Peter corrects him. "To be rightfully inherited by me. Not usurped by some idiot teenage boy, so incorruptible, he won't shed the blood of his enemies even when justified. You don't deserve your power. Not power like this."

        Peter shifts into his werewolf form and lets his blue eyes glow. He lets out a growl in which Scott responds with his own. Before Peter could lunge at Scott, Malia shifts and tries to attack him. Peter quickly shoves her away and cracks his neck.

        "Oh, sorry, sweetheart, we'll talk about this later," he remarks before turning his focus on Scott. "You were my Beta first, Scott. It was my bite that changed your life. And my bite that can end it." 

        "Then, end it, Peter," Scott responds. "Because you won't get another chance." 

        They both growl at each other before sprinting and jumping at the air ready to deal the final blows of this never-ending nightmare. 

*****

Third POV, _Outside La Iglesia_

Diana leaps over the ruin she was hiding behind in and starts firing at the berserker until its forced into hiding. She left her cousins to take care of it while her focus shifted into finding Kate. It didn't take long to notice that she was hiding behind the transport van she drove in. A group of Araya's men were sent to her but Kate brings them down one by one. 

        Diana steps over the remaining ruins and tosses her shotgun aside knowing that the job wouldn't get done with it. She pulls out her weapons of choice, two daggers, and swings them in her hands with ease. 

        Kate kills the last Calavera sent in her direction and lets out a growl. 

        "You're next, Araya," she shouts. "I'm coming to kill you next."

        Araya steps out of the shadow with a knife in her hand.

        "Come, La Loba. Let me show you how the Calaveras die." 

        Diana intercepts them and lets out a growl of her own as red shone through her eyes. 

        "No more Calaveras are dying tonight," Diana states. "The only head that'll roll is yours, Kate." 

        The were-jaguar snarls at the challenge and Diana doesn't wait for Kate to get ready as she tosses one of her daggers at her. Kate blocks it with her arm and winces at the deep cut it leaves behind. Diana doesn't stop at the sight of this and swings at her in rapid speed which the were-jaguar barely manages to dodge. Diana lets out a growl as she tosses her knife in the air and catches it with her opposite hand trying to inflict another wound. 

        Kate manages to catch the incoming dagger but in her distraction, Diana punches her in the face. Kate staggers back from the momentum and tastes the blood in her mouth. She chuckles at this and quickly regains her balance. Kate extends her claws ready to deal the final blow when a howl erupts in the air.        

        The were-jaguar looks up expecting to find the white wolf that was Diana's true form standing in front of her, but the she-wolf was still in her human form. Diana looked as confused as she was by the unknown howl. 

        Diana looks back at the ruin that held Derek's body only to find him gone. A black wolf climbed over the ruin and stood proudly in front of them. Blue eyes reflected under the moonlight and Diana recognizes him in an instant.

        "Derek?" 

        The wolf growls at Kate before immediately attacking her and taking her down. The black wolf tears and claws at a screaming Kate who tries to crawl away from him. The black wolf slowly starts to transform back into its human state revealing a nude Derek standing over a defeated Kate.

        "You were... You were dead." 

        "No," Derek corrects her. "I was evolving. Something you'll never do." 

        The berserker from before moves to attack him but Derek dodges his blow and reaches for its skull helmet. Using all of his strength, Derek breaks the skull in half and kills the berserker instantly. 

        Diana watched as he dropped the skull onto the ground. She stumbled her way towards him instantly catching his attention. The moment his green eyes met her brown ones, Diana couldn't help but run into his arms and cling to him with everything she had. She feared that in any moment Derek would disappear from her hold. 

        "Hey, hey, hey," Derek calls out to her. "I'm ok. I'm ok." 

        Diana couldn't help but dig herself into his chest wanting to hear his heartbeat for herself. Hearing the way his heart thumped loudly in his chest, she let out a sigh of relief. She presses a kiss on his chest and looks up at him. 

        No more words were shared as a gunshot rung through the air. Diana and Derek look away from each other and find Kate's body thrown onto the ground. She no longer could hold onto her were-jaguar form and Chris stumbles out of the shadows with his gun raised.

        "Chris?" 

        Chris doesn't respond and so Kate takes the opportunity to stumble away. Chris takes a deep breath before following her and Diana was inclined to do the same when Derek stopped her from doing so. 

        "It's his turn," Derek tells her. "Our job is done." 

******

Diana's POV,  _La Iglesia_

        The sun had finally risen through the horizon washing away the bloodshed that the night had wrought. Derek finished loading up his car as I stood in front of my grandmother for what I could confirm to be the last time. She stared at me with an unreadable expression and I knew this was the most emotion I would ever receive from her. My tio Severo and cousins were ranked right behind her and though they looked indifferent, I knew they were waiting to hear what my grandmother had to say to me. 

        "You are free," Araya states. "You are free of the bounds of our family, the Calaveras and the Cruzes. You no longer have to live in fear of us hunting you."

        "And my pack?" I ask. "Are they safe too?"

        "They are," Araya answers. "Chris Argent has made a deal to absolve them of our clutches."

        "What kind of deal?"

        "That is no longer your concern," Araya answers with a smirk. "Just know that Kate Argent and your brother, Marcos, will be accounted for."

        "So you're still going after him?" I ask in surprise.

        "Someone has to," Araya answers. "Left on his own, Marcos will continue to inflict irreparable damage. He will come after you, Diana. That I can assure you."

        I let out a sigh as I hear this but I knew she was right.

        "Then I guess this is goodbye then," I sigh out as my hand landed on my abdomen. "I got my own family to take care of." 

         I offer my grandmother a respectful nod before waving off Severo, Santiago, and Guillermo. I start to make my way back to Derek only to stop as I hear Araya's parting words.

        "You would have made your parents proud," Araya states. "Walking away from all of this to take care of your own family. Carmen would have been so proud." 

        With those words, Araya turns to walk away with the rest of her family following her lead. Chris' conversation with Scott comes to an end as well and he leaves with them. 

        I take a deep breath as I stood in front of Scott and Stiles and his pack. Derek swung his arm over my shoulder and I smile at the act.

        "Parrish has the keys to the transport van," I tell Scott. "Chris drugged Peter up enough for the trip back. Deaton has instructions with what to do him once you guys get back to Beacon."

        "So you're really not coming back?" Scott asks. 

        Derek and I look at each other having quickly come to this consensus after all that's happened. 

        "Well we... we thought it best if we left Beacon Hills," I answer. "It's about time that we did." 

        "But what about us?" Stiles asks. 

        "You guys have been fighting your battles without us for a while now," Derek answers. "You can do this on your own. You're ready." 

        "But you said you were going to let me in on a few insider secrets about this Alpha stuff?" Scott asks Derek. 

        I couldn't help but chuckle. 

        "You seem to have the whole 'Alpha stuff' under control, Scott," I tell him. "And if you need anything you can just call." 

        "But..." 

        "No more buts!" I exclaim knowing that if we spent more time on this I would end up convinced to return back with them. "Derek and I... we need to start the new chapter of our lives. We have our own pack to handle." 

        My hand reaches for my abdomen once more and I can't help but chuckle as Derek presses his lips against my forehead. Scott and Stiles get the hint and they can't hide their smiles.

        "This doesn't mean we'll be gone forever," I remind them. "It just means we need some time and space for ourselves." 

        "We have to get away from the life-threatening situation and supernatural drama," Derek adds on. "It's time for us to find a safe place to live." 

        This leads to Scott and Stiles to remain silent and nod in understanding. I pull the two boys into an embrace and couldn't help but smile as I felt them hug me back. 

        "This isn't goodbye," I remind them. 

        "Then why does it feel like it?" Stiles asks. 

        I couldn't help but chuckle as I stepped away from them. Derek grabs a hold of my hand and I let out a sigh as I took one last glance at all of them. 

        "We'll see you guys soon, ok?" 

        Everyone nods and waves goodbye as Derek and I make our way into the car. Once inside, Derek looks over at me and smiles. 

        "Where to now?" 

        I shrug and couldn't help the relief that washed all over my body as I came to an answer. 

        "Let's go home."


End file.
